Benedict Cumberbatch holds up a sign in protest over David Miranda’s detention (Picture: WENN)

Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch has launched a silent protest over the decision to detain the partner of a Guardian journalist under anti-terror laws.

Cumberbatch, who later this year will be seen in cinemas portraying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, brandished a series of messages criticising the government and police over the detention of David Miranda, the partner of Glenn Greenwald.

The 37-year-old held up four pieces of paper to photographers who were hoping to catch a glimpse of him and Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman during filming on location in London.

‘Questions we have a right to ask in a democracy – [David] Cameron, Theresa May, GCHQ, teachers, parents, each other… Hard drives smashed, journalists detained at airports. Democracy?’ the first two pages read.


David Miranda, pictured left with Glenn Greenwald, was detained for nine hours without ever being arrested – the maximum allowed under the law (Picture: AP/Janine Gibson/the Guardian)

Pages three and four continued: ‘Schedule 7 Prior restraint – is this erosion of civil liberties winning the war on terror?



‘What do they not want you to know? And how did they get to know it? Does the exposure of their techniques cause a threat to our security or does it just cause them embarrassment?’

It emerged over the weekend that Mr Miranda had been detained under the controversial Schedule 7 section of the Terrorism Act 2000, which only applies to airports and ports, and had his laptop, mobile phone and memory stick seized.

Mr Greenwald, who has written stories for the Guardian based on material passed to him by National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden, said the detention was an act of intimidation, while Mr Miranda has threatened legal action if his possessions are not returned.

Edward Snowden has been granted asylum for a year in Russia (Picture: AP)

Both the US and UK governments have insisted the decision to detain Mr Miranda was not politically motivated, although the White House and Downing Street admitted they had prior knowledge of the police action, which took place as the Brazilian citizen transited at Heathrow after a trip to Berlin.

Home secretary Mrs May is the latest high profile figure to defend the actions of police, saying it was ‘absolutely right’ steps were taken to protect the public from sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Cumberbatch has turned to pad and paper to get his message across.

The actor, whose WikiLeaks film The Fifth Estate is out in the autumn, held up a piece of paper bearing the message ‘Go photograph Egypt and show the world something important’ to paparazzi over the weekend.