19 August
2013
Glasgow
Defence Campaign host successful book launch of Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s
Secret Police
A well
attended meeting in the centre of Glasgow saw Rob Evans - Guardian journalist and
co-author of the new book Undercover: The true Story of Britain’s Police speak
alongside criminal defence advocate Claire Mitchell and representatives from the Glasgow
Defence Campaign and the N14 Defence Campaign in Newcastle.
Claire Mitchell outlined the rights
we have through the European Convention on Human Rights and the domestic Human
Rights Act, suggesting that these rights are facing an increased political
challenge which must be resisted. Claire stated that everyone has a duty to familiarise
themselves with these rights and to exercise them is the best means of
protecting them.
Niall O’Donnell, a member of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! based in Newcastle, stated that all those who engage in effective political campaigning in this country in
opposition to the state will quickly become subject to criminalisation.
Speaking on behalf of the N14 justice campaign, Niall outlined how he and 13 others
were targeted and arrested for their role in opposing neo fascism with the
complicity of members of the local Labour party and charged with ‘conspiracy to
cause public disorder’. Through the successful campaigning work of the N14 all
those arrested have been informed that no charges will be brought against them. But as Niall said: ‘we want answers. Someone has deliberately stirred things up. This
is unacceptable behaviour and we will continue to fight against it.'
Joey Simons spoke on behalf of the
Glasgow Defence Campaign detailing how the campaign was started and the varying
levels of state harassment faced by the campaign, stating:
‘For the past three years, we have
successfully organised – through free speech rallies, dozens of court pickets
and demonstrations, through recording, monitoring and logging police
harassment, through organising public meetings, literature and bust cards,
through defying police attempts to ban our literature and our presence on the
streets. Over half a million people have seen Dominic on Youtube providing
Strathclyde police officers with a lesson in law on the streets of Glasgow.
From the 18 or so various charges our members have faced over the past three
years, we have plead not guilty to every one, and lost in only two cases. The
presence of the Glasgow Defence Campaign has meant that the police must think twice
before harassing protest and the Crown Office to think what really constitutes
'in the public interest.' We have shown that intimidation and criminalisation,
far from driving people off the streets, only strengthens their determination.
We ask people to get involved, to attend the court picket on 1 October and to
become involved in the discussion. Those in power are learning quick, but we
are learning quicker!'
The meeting heard many contributions
from the floor, one woman asking the audience how many had been on the receiving
end of police harassment and violence – over two thirds of the meeting raised their
hands. Another important contribution noted that the revelations in the book
confirm that far from being some rogue undercover unit, the entire process has
been authorised by Whitehall and the Home Office itself.
Chair of the meeting Paul McKenna ended the meeting by stating that the Glasgow Defence Campaign is reorganising and
appealed for support from those present and beyond: ‘there is an urgent need to
organise as wide a public defence as possible for two of our supporters facing
criminalisation for their part in the struggle against ATOS’, stating that the response
to the state attacks on the new movement
will be a disciplined and organised one. He called on the meeting to remember
the principles of the GDC – Don’t panic - organise!
Next GDC picket
9- 10am Glasgow Sheriff Court Tuesday 1
October
Copies of the book - Undercover are available from the GDC priced £13 with free postage and can be obtained by donation via our paypal button.
This entire affair has shown the moral bankruptcy of those who seek to promote themselves as guardians of law, order and the public morals. When Police officers stoop to the level of using the identities of dead children to spy on activists, who, for the most part, are merely involved in non-violent protest, they reduce themselves to the level of the East European Stasi before the fall of the Berlin Wall!
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