Today, finally, #spycops inquiry is due to start hearing evidence, but it is not being live streamed to public.

We have been hearing core participants’ opening statements since last week. There may still be one or two more of those today before evidence begins.
Despite suggestion by Sir John Mitting yesterday that we would hear one or two further opening statements this am (we still have not heard from Dave Smith, a blacklisted construction worker, and Helen Steel, one of the McLibel 2), #spycops inquiry is going straight into evidence.
Sir John Mitting, chairman of #spycops inquiry, clarifies that Dave Smith cannot give his opening statement because he has contracted coronavirus.

Helen Steel cannot give hers because of unspecified different reasons. They may give their statements at some later point.
Tariq Ali is affirmed as the first witness in #spycops inquiry.
Tariq Ali warns in his written statement to undercover policing inquiry that deployment of #spycops “into people’s private lives” cannot be assumed to be justified on the basis of their “occasionally lurid and inaccurate reports of threats of serious violence.”
Tariq Ali notes that #spycops even had a file on the TUC – the Trades Union Congress.

They had a file on the National Front, although its file number suggests that it was not opened until as late as 1979.
On infiltration of #spycops into campaigns for justice for Blair Peach and Stephen Lawrence, Tariq Ali says: “The Met clearly wished to protect their organisation and their officers from criticism, even when they knew one of their officers had murdered someone [referring to BP].”
Inquiry publishes an example of a #spycop report on Tariq Ali, re his “intimate contact” in 1968 with a second-year student at a teaching college, where he had recently been president of the Students Union.

“Send copy to Box 500,” is written on the bottom – a reference to MI5.
Inquiry also publishes a #spycop report from 2003 on “celebrity contacts” of Omar Waraich of Global Resistance.

Names redacted, but include “television actress and film actress” [as if it is not obvious].

He had twice “gone out for dinner” with two celebrities and Tariq Ali.
Sir John Mitting, #spycops chairman, is very, very jumpy as Tariq Ali is asked by his own barrister about the surveillance of a meeting of the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition…
Sir John Mitting warns Tariq Ali’s barrister, Ravid Menon, that it is illegal to refer to the use of intercepts, only for Menon to say that he was in fact talking about the use of a secretly-placed recording device.

Mitting admits that he interrupted too quickly.
Tariq Ali was the subject of 80 secret police reports between March 1968 and November 2003, and was spied on by at least 14 #spycops, undercover policing inquiry hears.

Good report on first day of evidence to inquiry from The Guardian:

theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/n…
Having read the hearing transcript, I see that Tariq Ali was asked about the #spycop report in 1968 on his “intimate contact” with a male second year student at a teaching college.

Ali responded: “It is total fiction… I can’t believe it… I have never been gay or bisexual.”

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More from @MarkWatts_1

12 Nov
Day 9 of #spycops inquiry: three #spycops who infiltrated campaign against Vietnam war – “John Graham”, “Barry Morris” and “Margaret White”.

Plus statement to be read from Ernest Tate, of Vietnam Solidarity Campaign and an organiser of Vietnam war protest in London in 1968.
First up today, “HN329”, a #spycop in the Met Special Branch’s “Special Demonstration Squad” from 1968.

He used the cover name “John Graham”.
In his written statement, “John Graham” says that before he joined Met’s SDS he was in “C Squad” where he was “carrying out Communism related enquiries” and “engaging in covert work”.
Read 28 tweets
10 Nov
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, #Spycop

Day 7 of opening statements today, including on behalf of Baroneess (Doreen) Lawrence, Neville Lawrence, Michael Mansfield.

Due to be live streamed at link.

Ahead of start of evidence sessions from tomorrow.

ucpi.org.uk/hearing/openin…
We start by hearing a broadside delivered at both #spycops inquiry and the Met delivered by Baroness Lawrence via her barrister, Imran Khan.
Baroness Lawrence, mother, of course, of Stephen Lawrence, “is losing confidence, if she has not already lost it, in the inquiry’s ability to get to the truth,” says Imran Khan to #spycops inquiry.
Read 38 tweets
9 Nov
We are hearing this am at undercover policing inquiry from Philippa Kaufman the truly mind-blowing story of state sexual abuse of 20 women whom she represents by #spycops, and how these women unearthed who their “boyfriends” really were and exposed them. ucpi.org.uk/hearing/openin…
Philippa Kaufman also represents a 21st woman who developed a friendship, albeit not a sexual relationship, with a #spycop.

You can see her giving her and others later today giving opening statements at this link: ucpi.org.uk/hearing/openin…
Note that Philippa Kaufman’s opening statement was only live streamed this morning because she undertook not to state #spycop Carlo Neri’s real name.

I have no idea why because his real name is already in public domain. This is eerily like #CSAinquiry attempt to erase history.
Read 16 tweets
8 Nov
East Germany had the Stasi.

UK have the #spycops.

Key points in utterly staggering submissions to #spycops inquiry in opening statements last week on behalf of a wide range of core participants that show the sheer scale of secret political policing in UK have gone unreported.
For example, James Scobie, barrister for several CPs, said on Day 5 of undercover policing inquiry on Friday, that #spycop Rick Gibson helped run the Troops Out Movement in 1974-76 by becoming its London organiser and ultimately joint national secretary. ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
Lord (John) Hendy, representing Fire Brigades Union and Unite the Union, and other unions that were REFUSED core-participant status, spoke also on Day 5 (same link as above) of their deep concern about use of #spycops intelligence for “blacklisting” of trade unionists from work.
Read 6 tweets
6 Nov
How secret state in UK has long policed politics:

MI5, working with #spycops, policing MPs, campaigners and anyone seeking social change, as set out in lengthy opening statement by Rajiv Menon, for some core participants in undercover policing inquiry.

ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
“Undercover policing was severely tainted – corrupted – by political motivations and political bias,” says Matthew Ryder, representing many other core participants in #spycopys inquiry, in opening statement.

A common target for #spycops was anyone who campaigned against racism.
One #spycop, Mike Ferguson, targeted Peter Hain because he was campaigning against apartheid in South Africa.

He is said by other #spycops to have become Hain’s “right hand man”.

But Lord Hain cannot confirm this because inquiry REFUSES to tell him #spycop’s COVER NAME.
Read 4 tweets
2 Nov
Even MPs came under the scrutiny of UK #spycops, says David Barr, counsel to undercover policing inquiry, in his opening statement in Day 1 of hearings today.
Some former #spycops continued to operate in the private sector, with at least one continuing to use exactly the same cover name, David Barr says in opening statement to undercover policing inquiry.
First witness in #spycops inquiry is due to be Tariq Ali on Wednesday next week, says David Barr.

He explains that #spycops began by targetting Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in 1968, and so Tariq Ali became one of their first targets.
Read 6 tweets

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