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13 May, 46 tweets, 23 min read
Today, the #SpycopsInquiry is due to hear a summary of HN155's deployment first thing in the morning.

Then we'll hear from HN96, from 10:30am onwards.

(1)
Towards the end of the day, we're due to hear from two of the risk assessors (David Reid and Brian Lockie) who have had dealings with HN155.
(2)
We hope that today's hearing ends on time, at 5pm.
The last few days have run much later than expected. Which is not really acceptable for those who have had to rearrange their lives, work and care commitments around the dates and times of these hearings.
(3)
The documents being referred to should be uploaded so you can read them for yourself:
ucpi.org.uk/hearing/eviden…
(4)
If you're based in England or Wales, and would like to hear an audio-stream featuring the officer's voice, you'll need to register on the @ucpinquiry website for access via a Zoom webinar.
(5)
@ucpinquiry There is a ten-minute delay on all of these options – and on our tweeting/ reporting - during the live evidence sections.
(6)
@ucpinquiry HN155 – who used the name 'Phil Cooper' – infiltrated the Waltham Forest Anti-Nuclear Campaign, and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), in particular its 'Right to Work' campaign.
(7)
@ucpinquiry His real name is restricted.
He will not be giving evidence in person due to ill health.
(8)
@ucpinquiry You can read more about Phil Cooper (HN155) on pages 268 - 275 of the Counsel to the Inquiry's opening statement: ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

(9)
@ucpinquiry He joined the SDS in October 1979, and worked in the back office for months.
It is believed that he was deployed during that winter – according the first report attributed to 'Phil Cooper'; dated April 1980, he had been elected on to a committee in February 1980.
(10)
@ucpinquiry HN155 told people that he was from Liverpool, and had spent time in the Merchant Navy.
It's likely that he used a dead child's identity when constructing the 'legend' of 'Phil Cooper' but he has no recollection of this.
(11)
@ucpinquiry The Inquiry has not been able to work out where this identity was stolen from.
(12)
@ucpinquiry Cooper says he didn't really consider any roles 'off limits' – he took on the role of treasurer of the Walthamstow Forest Anti-Nuclear Campaign (WFANC) in 1980.
(13)
@ucpinquiry He became treasurer of the SWP's Right to Work campaign in 1982.
<immediately after HN80 – cover name 'Colin Clark' – had vacated it>

(14)
@ucpinquiry He claims that he infiltrated the SWP first , then moved on to WFANC. The evidence that the Inquiry has unearthed suggests this chronology is not correct.
(15)
@ucpinquiry By the time of his first report about the SWP (Oct 1980) he has already been elected treasurer of WFANC and represented that group at a regional conference.
(16)
@ucpinquiry Although 'it seems likely' that he attended at least one protest at Torness in Scotland, opposing the construction of a nuclear power station, but he disputes that he was the sole source of intelligence about Torness.
(17)
@ucpinquiry Thanks to the National Library of Scotland, you can watch a 30-min film about the campaign at movingimage.nls.uk/film/8500

@natlibscot
(19)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot The Right To Work campaign entailed many thousands of people marching, either for short local lengths of the route or for more of it.

The RTW marches were well-supported in many of the places along their routes.

(20)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He claims it was useful for the local police to know what to expect, making his intelligence very valuable.
(21)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot A RTW march from Port Talbot ended at that year's Tory Party conference in Brighton. HN155 and HN80 collaborated to provide a 'comprehensive report' on the disturbances that occurred that day, and were rewarded with an official 'Commendation' for this work.
(22)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot As national treasurer of RTW, he had access to a great deal of internal communications and correspondence, and to the organisation's bank account (as well as the details of many members' individual accounts)
(23)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot Like Colin Clark before him, he had access to the SWP's headquarters, and was able to furnish his handlers with 'a detailed floor-plan of the office' and provide MI5 with the info they wanted (about the SWP's computer, its membership and its structure/ branches).

(24)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He attended the SWP's national conferences every year from 1981-1983, and wrote detailed reports of them. In 1980 he and 'Colin Clark' both worked on admin at the conference.
(25)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He also went to the party's annual rallies in Skegness for two years running, and submitted hefty reports of these and their attendees.
(26)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He reported on school children and the National Union of Students (NUS).
(27)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He submitted one report, towards the end of his employment, about an SWP-er trying to mislead potential employers/ cover up his politics with 'false references', which brings to mind #blacklisting.
(28)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot By July 1982 it appears that 'Phil Cooper' was unravelling.

HN68 (an SDS manager) is recorded as expressing “serious doubts about the performance of HN155”.
(29)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He hadn't made his child maintenance payments, and allegedly parked his cover vehicle outside his (real) home address, a breach of #spycops security.
(30)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He objects to the language used in this report, and says it's not entirely true.
(31)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot There were concerns within the SDS about his spying/ reporting on a mainstream politician, Labour MP Ernie Roberts.
(32)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He has provided a written witness statement, which you can now download from: ucpi.org.uk/publications/s…

#spycops
(33)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot You can also read about the psychological assessment of HN155, something we'll be hearing more about this afternoon:
ucpi.org.uk/publications/p…
ucpi.org.uk/publications/p…

(34)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He has mentioned a number of sexual liasons, with women who he claims were 'groupies' - in that they wanted to get closer to the inner circles of the SWP.
(35)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He said he had purely social encounters, which did not 'enhance' his deployment's effectiveness.
(36)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He claims that he told the risk assessors that he was talking about someone else, not himself, and that he never had these liasons himself

(37)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He denies having sex in his undercover identity.

“I am happy for my cover name to be released. I am certain that no female will come forward”
(38)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot His doctor says he would make an unreliable witness.
(39)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot We heard a little more about his exit from the SDS. He recalls discussions about whether or not his fake identity had been compromised, but says he was never publicly outed as an undercover.

He told his SWP comrades that he was going back to the merchant navy.
(40)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He knows that SDS managers visited his wife after this, but by then his marriage had ended – he blames this on the stress of his work.
(41)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He says his divorce was “handled in a deplorable way” by the SDS, and felt that concern for his welfare was greater when he was first deployed, possibly because those managers all had undercover experience themselves
(42)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot “living in an alter ego for such a long period tends to make you a bit unsure of who you are”. He says it had an effect on him, including making him more insular and secretive than he might otherwise have been
(43)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot He is aware of a report authored by Bob Lambert that says HN155 “played the SDS card” in order to secure a pension.

And alleging that he threatened to reveal the existence of the #spycops unit. HN155 denies this.

(44)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot Despite all this, he believes the SDS did a valuable job and helped to prevent 'subversion'
(45)
@ucpinquiry @natlibscot You can now read that report that Bob Lambert wrote: ucpi.org.uk/publications/d…

This was an SDS 'discussion paper' on the subject of the animal righte movement. Very interesting.
@ARspycatcher

(46)

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More from @copscampaign

13 May
The #spycopsinquiry is starting again
this afternoon's moving transcript will appear on in about ten minutes....

#spycops
(1) Image
Why did HN96 believe that the SWP were 'the most disruptive, from a public order perspective, that were currently active'?
(as he says in his witness statement)
(2)
Was this borne out by his experience of them at demos?

His statement only refers to a few “scuffles” with the police and violent exchanges with the far-right.
(3)
Read 162 tweets
13 May
Next up today at the #spycopsinquiry – and again you can see the moving transcript for yourself at – is 'HN96' – who used the cover name 'Michael James'

(1)
He infiltrated the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and Troops Out Movement (TOM).
His real name is restricted.
He will be giving oral evidence for most of today.
(2)
You can read more about Michael James (HN96) on pages 256 – 268
of the CTI opening statement:
ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
(3)
Read 129 tweets
12 May
This afternoon's session is starting now. A moving transcript will be shown – with a ten minute delay – on

#spycopsinquiry
#spycops
(1)
In the meantime you can watch reactions to this morning's evidence – from HN126 (cover name 'Paul Gray') at facebook.com/514251120/vide…

(2)
You can read the witness statement of HN126: ucpi.org.uk/publications/f…
(3)
Read 178 tweets
12 May
Today, the #SpycopsInquiry is due to hear summaries of two officers' deployments HN80 & HN106, introduce some documents associated with HN356, and then hear evidence from HN126...

The Inquiry will be streaming a moving transcript on Youtube:
If you're based in England or Wales, and would like to hear an audio-stream featuring the officer's voice, you'll need to register on the @ucpinquiry website for access via a Zoom webinar.

There is a ten-minute delay on all of these options – and on our tweeting/ reporting.

(2)
@ucpinquiry First today we will hear a summary of HN80.
You can read more about 'Colin Clark' on pages 215 – 224
of the CTI opening statement
ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

(3)
Read 133 tweets
11 May
NB: There is a different youtube link for those who want to see a moving transcript of the evidence we hear from 'HN354' this afternoon
#spycopsinquiry
#SpyCops
While you're waiting for the afternoon hearing to commence....

catch up with reactions from some of those who witnessed this morning's evidence at the Amba hotel....

facebook.com/groups/spycops
You can read HN354's 'consolidated' witness statement (the supplemented version that he submitted in this year, adding to his original statement made in November 2019) at:

ucpi.org.uk/publications/s…

(3)
Read 176 tweets
11 May
Today, the #SpycopsInquiry is due to hear from HN354, who used the name 'Vince Miller' to infiltrate the Socialist Workers Party from 1976-1979.
Read more about him at powerbase.info/index.php/Vinc…
@UndercoverNet
#SpyCops
(1)
@UndercoverNet The Inquiry will be streaming a moving transcript on Youtube: (in the morning)

(2)
@UndercoverNet The documents being referred to should be uploaded so you can read them for yourself:
ucpi.org.uk/hearing/eviden…
Read 153 tweets

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