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Helen Steel is a left-wing activist known for her involvement in #McLibel, that lasted 10 years, & was eventually taken to the ECHR, where Helen & David Morris won their case against the UK Govt on the grounds they'd been denied a fair trial.
Helen Steel is a left-wing activist known for her involvement in #McLibel, that lasted 10 years, & was eventually taken to the ECHR, where Helen & David Morris won their case against the UK Govt on the grounds they'd been denied a fair trial.
Helen & David were part of London Greenpeace, a small campaigning group that existed from 1972 to 2001.
In 1986 they distributed "a few hundred copies" of the leaflet: "What's wrong with McDonald's: everything they don't want you to know", in London
mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/…
In 1986 they distributed "a few hundred copies" of the leaflet: "What's wrong with McDonald's: everything they don't want you to know", in London
mcspotlight.org/case/pretrial/…
The leaflet accused the company of paying low wages, of cruelty to animals used in its products & other malpractices. The group were not affiliated with the larger Greenpeace International organisation, which they declined to join as they saw it as too "centralised & mainstream".
The #SpyCopsInquiry now hears its last opening statement of the day, from Dave Morris. Dave is a lifelong campaigner for environmental & social justice, peace & other issues of compassion. He is perhaps best known as one of the #McLibel 2.
Morris is responding to material he's recently seen about spying on him by spycop Graham Coates, which the Inquiry has known about for years but only just shared.
Morris reiterates Heaven's conclusion, & reaffirms his earlier statements to the Inquiry, including parts endorsed by 90 Core Particpants.
Today the #SpyCopsInquiry starts at noon with an opening statement by Helen Steel. Perhaps best known for the #McLibel trial, Helen is a lifelong campaigner for environmental & social justice issues. She was deceived into a long-term relationship by undercover officer John Dines 
The rest of the day is given over to evidence from officer HN 348, which seems odd as she appear to have had about as minor a deployment as is possible for #spycops - long ago, not for long, in 1 group that don't appear to have warranted spying on even by the police's standards.
HN348 infiltrated the Women's Liberation Front for about a year 1972-73. A small feminist group with Maoist leanings, its meetings were up to 12 people, round at one of the member’s houses. She says action was mostly just taking part in demonstrations with placards and banners.
The #SpyCopsInquiry resumes at 2.10 with Dave Morris, long-time community & political activist for #McLibel & far beyond. Here he is talking about his work and the #spycops that spied on it
Morris: McDonald's security dept was 100% ex cops, able to get info on protesters from contacts. @helensteel12 & I sued McDonald's for sharing out info & received compensation
Morris: In 2005 the European Court of Human rights found we'd had an unfair trial. No police were held to account.
We're live tweeting this afternoon's #SpyCopsInquiry hearing, as a thread under this tweet.
David Barr QC, Counsel to the Inquiry, will spend the afternoon setting out what the Inquiry will be doing. The Inquiry will publish 6 documents that pre-date the March 1968 Vietnam War demo, showing Special Branch trying to find out about the scale & plans for the day
Barr: One Special Branch document describes Special Branch attending a Vietnam Solidarity Campaign meeting but being recognised & asked to leave. Another attempted to attend a private meeting was aborted due to cops not knowing ayone & dressing like cops.anyone
On this day 30 years ago, McDonald's served a libel writ on me as I stepped from the van of my then partner, who unbeknown to me was an undercover policeman, John Dines, who was spying on me & other campaigners in London Greenpeace #spycops #McLibel #OTD
smh.com.au/lifestyle/hele…
smh.com.au/lifestyle/hele…
The writ alleged McDonald's had been libelled in a leaflet produced by London Greenpeace, which was co-written by another undercover policeman, Bob Lambert. The resulting court case lasted 3 years, but at no time was the role of the
#spycops revealed
theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/21…
#spycops revealed
theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/21…
After the case ended we sued the police as it had emerged the police had provided confidential information about us to McDonald's to enable them to sue us. The police apologised and paid damages, but still didn't reveal the role of #spycops in the case
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/820786…
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/820786…
