The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance will be hosting a joint public meeting at The Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow, GS51 3UU from 11:00 am on Saturday 23 June. The meeting will hear from activists and victims of police spying in Scotland, in particular:
- Neil Findlay, Labour MSP, at the forefront of raising these issues in the Scottish Parliament;
- Tilly Gifford, social justice activist bringing a judicial review against the UK and Scottish governments for their failure to act.
- Andrea, woman activist from Police Spies Out Of Our Lives.
- Eveline Lubbers, Undercover Research Group.
All enquiries about the event should be addressed to copsscotland@gmail.com.
The Undercover Policing Inquiry...
In March 2015, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, announced her intention to set up an Inquiry into undercover policing. This announcement followed revelations that police officers, as early as 1968, had spied on political campaigners and had used the names of dead children to create their identities they had deceived women into forming long-term intimate relationships and had fathered children. They had befriended grieving families, including the parents of Stephen Lawrence, and had acted as agents provocateurs.
…but no public inquiry in Scotland!
The undercover police operations under scrutiny by the Inquiry are limited to those conducted in England and Wales. However, much evidence has come to light demonstrating that the Metropolitan Police’s SDS had in fact operated in Scotland, and possibly without the permission of the Scottish authorities.
During the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005, the Metropolitan Police sent undercover police officers into Scotland to spy on activists, amongst these officers was known undercover officer Mark Kennedy, who had between 2003 and 2010 infiltrated numerous campaign groups and had formed intimate relationships with women. Undercover officer Carlo Neri targeted a woman known publicly as ‘Andrea’, and had been welcomed into her Scottish family.
However it is not just the UK government that has declined the need for a public inquiry in Scotland. Sadly, the SNP have followed suit, and following the release of the HMICS report, they have also rejected the need for Scotland to hold its own inquiry.
Legal challenge and building a campaign.
On 14 September 2017, Lord Brailsford of Edinburgh’s Court of Session agreed to grant permission for a full judicial review hearing to take place. The case brought by Tilly Gifford, a social justice activist, is important. The full hearing is due to be heard on the 19-20th July 2018. Have the UK Government acted unlawfully in refusing to extend the terms of reference of the Inquiry to Scotland? Have the Scottish Government in refusing to set up its own inquiry acted unlawfully? We think so.
Whether we win this case or not – we must build a campaign to force the UK government and the Scottish government to concede to a proper inquiry. Truth and justice are demanded by trade unionists, environmentalists, women activists, blacklisted workers, and social justice campaigners!
