Statement of Support – Keep the NHS Public

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The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers is adding its voice to the Keep the NHS Public campaign. The NHS was created as a comprehensive, universal and free service 60 years ago. It is now in great danger. The current government has passed laws which will force open our NHS to competition from private companies seeking to make profit for their shareholders – which is completely at odds with a health service which acts in the best interests of patients.

The NHS is a defining institution of this country. We need to fight for it now and make this government back down. We call on organisations, healthcare workers, patients and the public to campaign to protect the NHS from further privatisation and fragmentation, and to keep our NHS public for the benefit of all.

We also urge people to join the demonstration on Saturday 18 May in London to Save London’s NHS. Details are here: http://defendlondonsnhs.wordpress.com/

Support Keep the NHS Public: http://www.keepournhspublic.com

Persecution of Environmental Activists by EDF

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The Haldane Society supports the direct action taken by the 21 No Dash for Gas activists at West Burton power station in October 2012. Our government is not taking the threat of climate change and the need to transition to a low carbon energy system seriously. The activists who took this action acted in the tradition of the suffragettes and the abolitionists who demanded structural change and justice through civil disobedience.

The Haldane Society condemns the move by EDF to pursue the activists in a civil case for £5 million. We believe this to be an abuse of the legal process and a cynical attempt to put people off dissent and undermine the right to protest. We call on EDF to drop the civil action and we call on people to sign this petition demanding the same:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/tell-edfenergy-to-drop-legal-action-against-no-dash-for-gas-activists

Public Meeting: Stop MI5 blackmail! Protect UK citizenship from attack!

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Public Meeting

Stop MI5 blackmail!   Protect UK citizenship from attack!

7-9pm Friday 18 January 2013 
Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall, Judd St (near Kings X station)

Speakers include:

Saghir Hussain, Director, CagePrisoners
Sharhabeel Lone, Director, KTCO
Mohamed Nur, community worker, KTCO
Kurdish Federation UK
Tom Foot, journalist, Camden New Journal
George Binette, Branch Secretary, Camden UNISON
Frances Webber, Vice-President, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Les Levidow, CAMPACC

Aims of the meeting:

  • To expose and stop MI5 practices of blackmail
  • To encourage individuals to refuse cooperation and expose blackmail attempts
  • To demand government accountability for such crimes
  • To protect UK citizenship from being withdrawn
  • To bring more organisations into the protest

Over several years MI5 has been systematically blackmailing individuals to spy on their communities.  In most cases, security agencies want information on political views and ordinary political activities. This covert surveillance spreads fear and distrust among communities here – all in the name of protecting ‘national security’.

In an extreme case, in October 2012 the Home Secretary withdrew the citizenship of a Somali-born UK citizen, Mahdi Hashi.  As a care worker in the Kentish Town Community Organisation (KTCO) in 2009, Mahdi had refused to become an MI5 informer. Then MI5 threatened him and four colleagues with being labelled as 'Islamic extremists' if they refused to become informers.  Madhi in particular felt so harassed by the MI5 that he left the country for Somalia, where he has family members. The Home Secretary later revoked his citizenship, thus preventing his return. After leaving Somalia he disappeared and was held at a secret detention site.  In December it became public that he was rendered to face 'terrorism' charges in a NY court.  There he is accused of participation in al Shabaab. For details, see http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2012/dec/fathers-anger-family-are-told-former-camden-schoolboy-being-held-us-terror-charges

For several years MI5 had blackmailed many other British Somalis.  MI5 told the men, 'Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist.'  When they refused to cooperate, MI5 acted on the threat: afterwards some were detained and interrogated on trips abroad.  For details, see

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-how-mi5-blackmails-british-muslims-1688618.html,

http://campacc.org.uk/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=47&cntnt01returnid=133

Such practices are widespread.  Beyond a few well-publicised cases, MI5 has blackmailed hundreds of refugees, especially Kurds and Tamils. Refugees face much higher stakes: they could be deported to torture, or else they could be granted asylum as a reward for becoming informers.  

Meeting is sponsored by: the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), CagePrisoners, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), Kurdish Federation UK, London Somali Youth Forum, Hands Off Somalia, Camden Green Party, Mumia Abu Jamal Defence Campaign (UK)
And supported by Camden Councillors Sarah Hayward (Leader of Camden Council) and Maya de Souza

For information contact: CAMPACC, estella24@tiscali.co.uk, tel. 020 7586 5892, www.campacc.org.uk

Statement on report into murder of Pat Finucane

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The Haldane Society joins with Geraldine Finucane and her family in condemning as a whitewash and a sham the "report" into the murder of her husband, the Belfast solicitor, Pat Finucane.  

The all too predictable outcome of the work commissioned by David Cameron from Sir Desmond de Silva QC has added yet one more chapter of insult to the deades of collusion, cover-up, lies and broken promises in which one British government after another has attempted to close the book on this international scandal.  "Justice on the cheap" has been the motto of this Government and it is no surprise that the only justification the Prime Minister can offer for refusing to order the impartial public inquiry his predecessors had pledged to hold, is that it would be too expensive.

The family has, and always has had, our unwavering support in its determination to force the British government to account fully and publicly for the murder that we believe was sanctioned at extremely high - if not the very highest - levels.  This is not simply one family's fight for the truth.  If there is no justice for the Finucane family there can never be any confidence in the word of a British Government.

Critical Mass Defence - Urgent callout

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Critical Mass Defence is asking for witnesses to the arrests at the Critical Mass meet on 27th July this year.

Were you or anyone you know at Critical Mass on 27th July, or at the meeting point under Waterloo Bridge? Solicitors want to hear from people who were there and not arrested. Even if you don’t think you saw anything, please get in touch with GBC Legal as soon as possible – by 10th December at the latest: gbclegal@riseup.net 07946 541 511

They are especially keen to hear from people who were at the meetup point at Waterloo Bridge, or at/in the kettle on either the Stratford Roundabout or the Bow Flyover.

Full details here.

Support Alfie Meadows and Zak King

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Alfie Meadows and Zak King’s retrial for violent disorder started on Monday 29th October at Woolwich Crown Court. 

The Haldane Society sends its support to Alfie and Zak and we encourage people to attend Woolwich Crown Court to show their support in person. More information about Alfie and Zak's case can be found on the Defend the Right to Protest website

Woolwich Crown Court
2 Belmarsh Road
London
SE28 0EY

Nearest DLR: Woolwich Arsenal

Opposing Securitisation, Linking Our Resistances

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The following statement has been approved by the Society's Executive Committee.

‘Security measures’ are becoming all-pervasive, supposedly to protect us from severe threats. In practice, such measures turn us into suspects – subjected to preventative measures such as state surveillance, restrictions on movement, extra-judicial powers, secret evidence and even punishment without trial. ‘Terrorism’, ‘extremism’ and ‘suspicious behaviour’ are defined so broadly and vaguely as to entrap potentially anyone.

Some measures target specific group. Anti-terror powers target migrant-diaspora and Muslim communities, as well as (increasingly) political activists. Bans on ‘terrorist’ organisations have been designed and used to persecute migrant communities here. Anti-terror raids are organised as mass-media spectacles, labelling individuals and entire groups as ‘terror suspects’.

Secret evidence has been systematically used to detain foreigners as ‘terror suspects’, who must be deported in the interests of ‘national security’. More recently, secret evidence has been extended to other procedures, likewise in the name of national security. Curfews and dispersal orders target youth, labelling normal social activities as dangerous.

Military equipment has been deployed to build public fear, justifying a quasi-military occupation protecting multinational companies from protest. In summer 2012 the MoD sought to put missiles in housing estates in East London, supposedly to protect the Olympics from terrorist threats. The High Court ruled that the MoD had legal powers to site missiles wherever necessary for that purpose. As an opposition campaigner rightly said, ‘This ruling means that the MoD can put missiles on our roofs or can even station troops in our houses, simply by claiming that it is necessary for national security.’

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Haldane at the TUC March, 20 October 2012

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Members of The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers proudly joined the TUC March For A Future That Works on Saturday 20 October 2012 to call for an end to the government's austerity programme.  The attacks on government services by the coalition, including the decimation of legal aid services provided to the most vulnerable in society, are throwing huge numbers of people into destitution, a situation which the government's continued programme of cuts is threatening to make worse.

The Society looks forward to a continuation of the campaign by unions and student groups later this autumn.

The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers fully supports the industrial action called by unions on 30th November 2011.

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We do not know whether PCS court workers will be able to close courts. If so, we encourage our members not to cross picket-lines. Below is a statement agreed with PCS for the industrial action in June.

For details of protests around the country, see here.

The Haldane Society will be joining marchers at noon, assemble at Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2A 3PE. March to the Victoria Embankment, WC2N 6NU, for a rally at 2pm.

Some courts will be closed and there will certainly be picket-lines at any that remain open. We encourage our members to show solidarity with the striking court workers by respecting the picket-lines so long as that does not breach members' professional duties. This situation has been explained to PCS who understand the constraints on practising lawyers under a professional duty to attend court but who would not wish to cross a picket line. Members can express their solidarity with the PCS in other ways, in particular by making a donation to the Ministry of Justice Group hardship fund (see the statement below for details).

Members are urged to make arrangements before 30th November to avoid, if possible, the need for their attendance at court on that day so long as the interests of their clients are protected. If you have no alternative but to attend court on 30th November take this statement with you and show it to the PCS steward. We would encourage members who find that they do have to appear in court on 30th November to consider donating some of their personal remuneration to the strike hardship fund.

Please see a statement from the PCS for further details of support to be offered.

We apologise to members for the late sending of this email.

PCS hardship fund:

PCS welcomes payments to our Ministry of Justice Group hardship fund; cheques should be made payable to PCS MoJ Group Hardship Fund Account and sent to c/o Robin Fallon 30 Saltwell Street, Gateshead Tyne and Wear NE8 4QX. This fund is used to help cover the cost of going on strike for union members who face particular financial hardship. Our lowest paid members earn between £13,894 and £15,524 full time pay outside London and in London they earn just £16,737 to £18,700. These wage rates are for those working as court ushers and some administration staff. This gives you an idea of how low paid some of our members are and the sacrifice they make going on strike. To add to this our members are affected by a two year pay freeze and are now threatened with working longer and paying increased pension contributions for a lower pension when they finally retire.