@out_of_lives The police continue to spy on all kinds of campaigners, and curtail our right to protest.
This is why it's important to oppose the proposed new Police Crime & Sentencing Bill...
@netpol have launched an urgent petition calling on the National Police Chiefs Council to adopt new guidelines to protect the right to protest – or explain why they refuse to do so.
@out_of_lives@netpol In their words:
Rather than continuing to ask the police and other authorities for greater transparency and getting nowhere, we think it’s time we collectively started offering some solutions of our own. That’s why we’ve developed the Charter for Freedom of Assembly Rights.
@out_of_lives@netpol Fighting the Bill is important, but this will be a long struggle and it goes beyond Parliament.
We need to organise. Sign up to @netpol and join the fight.
This afternoon's #SpyCopsInquiry hearing will start just after 2pm.
If you'd like to see a moving transcript of what is said (10 mins after it's said) you can watch this on #spycops
Or follow our and @tombfowler 's tweets...
@tombfowler David Barr (Counsel to the #SpycopsInquiry ) took us back to the Star & Garter hotel car-park.
HN298 – using the cover name 'Michael Scott' – was arrested at this demo, blocking the British Lions rugby team bus (they were about to head off on a tour of apartheid South Africa).
@tombfowler HN298 claims to have been in the road at the time of his arrest. He has no recollection of his actions on the day, but says he “would have been going through the motions” (of participating in the direct action).
Stubbs is of the opinion that he was chosen in part due to his dark complexion which may have assisted him to infiltrate groups focusing on Middle Eastern politics at a time when Palestinian hijackings were of significant concern. .
He was initially tasked to infiltrate the Palestinian Solidarity Committee – a group with no terrorist links
The #SpyCopsInquiry starts again this morning, hearing from Lord Peter Hain.
He was involved in campaigning against apartheid.
As his opening statement says:
"From the 1960s onwards, the international movement against the Apartheid regime in South Africa was one of the world’s largest social movements. Abhorrence at the racist and murderous regime was shared by people aroundthe globe."
(2)
"They formed campaigns in support of those in South Africa who were struggling for change and people in Britain played a central rolein campaigning for, and eventually achieving,that change"
(3)
You can watch proceedings (with a ten minute delay) at
(2)
First, the Inquiry checked if there were any questions for Jonathan Rosenhead. Mitting had a question for him – did he wish the Inquiry to act promptly about the miscarriage of justice that we heard about? Yes
(3)
[UCPI 00000 8660] ucpi.org.uk/publications/s…
STST's first national conference took place in March 1970. Both of today's witnesses are listed as attending it.
Jonathan pointed out that the speech reported on was given by Peter Hain, who was“by no means an extreme leftist”
(we'll hear from Peter Hain himself tomorrow)
The Stop the Seventy Tour campaigners felt that it was important to hold as many demonstrations as possible, at sports grounds all over the country...