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Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy
#1
Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy
Climate change activist taped men who offered cash for information about group's members and activities


Undercover police are running a network of hundreds of informants inside protest organisations who secretly feed them intelligence in return for cash, according to evidence handed to the Guardian.

They claim to have infiltrated a number of environmental groups and said they are receiving information about leaders, tactics and plans of future demonstrations.

The dramatic disclosures are revealed in almost three hours of secretly recorded discussions between covert officers claiming to be from Strathclyde police, and an activist from the protest group Plane Stupid, whom the officers attempted to recruit as a paid spy after she had been released on bail following a demonstration at Aberdeen airport last month.

Matilda Gifford, 24, said she recorded the meetings in an attempt to expose how police seek to disrupt the legitimate activities of climate change activists. She met the officers twice; they said they were a detective constable and his assistant. During the taped discussions, the officers:

? Indicate that she could receive tens of thousands of pounds to pay off her student loans in return for information about individuals within Plane Stupid.

? Say they will not pay money direct into her bank account because that would leave an audit trail that would leave her compromised. They said the money would be tax-free, and added: "UK plc can afford more than 20 quid."

? Accept that she is a legitimate protester, but warn her that her activity could mean she will struggle to find employment in the future and result in a criminal record.

? Claim they have hundreds of informants feeding them information from protest organisations and "big groupings" from across the political spectrum.

? Explain that spying could assist her if she was arrested. "People would sell their soul to the devil," an officer said.

? Warn her that she could be jailed alongside "hard, evil" people if she received a custodial sentence.

The meetings took place in a Glasgow police station last month and in a supermarket cafe on Tuesday. Gifford used a mobile phone and device sewn into her waistcoat to record what they described as a "business proposal" that she should think of as a job.

They intimated that in return for updates on Plane Stupid's plans she could receive large sums of money in cash.

When lawyers acting for Plane Stupid contacted Strathclyde police this week to establish the identities of the detective constable, they were initially told by the human resources department there was no record of his name.

But when the Guardian contacted the force, they acknowledged officers had had meetings with Plane Stupid activists.

In a statement last night, assistant chief constable George Hamilton said the force had "a responsibility to gather intelligence", and such operations were conducted according to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). The force would not comment on the identity of the officers.

"Officers from Strathclyde police have been in contact with a number of protesters who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests including Aberdeen airport," he said. "The purpose of this contact has been to ensure that any future protest activity is carried out within the law and in a manner which respects the rights of all concerned."

Gifford's lawyer, Patrick Campbell, said: "I have very considerable concerns about these events. There appears to be a covert operation that is running in some way with, or using, Strathclyde police's name. There appears to be a concerted effort to turn protesters to informants and possibly infiltrate peaceful protest movements.

He added: "The methods employed are disturbing, and more worrying yet is the lack of any clearly identifiable body responsible for this. These individuals seem to have some kind of police support or at the very least connections with the police ? the access to police stations confirms that ? but my concern is the lack of accountability and the threat to the individual and her right to protest."

Gifford intended to meet the officers for a third time on Thursday, taking a lawyer with her. But the officers did not appear at the rendezvous. However, she said she was later approached by the detective constable, who said he was disappointed in her. The man got into a car, leaving Gifford feeling shaken and intimidated.

She said last night that the initial approach from the officers was "an opportunity that fell out of the sky". She added: "Recording them seemed like the obvious thing to do. I was keen to find out what they had to offer, what they wanted to find out, and feed that back to the group in case other members of Plane Stupid were approached."

In a statement, Plane Stupid said: "Our civil liberties were invaded and our right to peaceful protest called into question simply to defend the interests of big business."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/24...ecruit-spy
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx

"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.

“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
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#2
It's routine. Crass, unsubtle routine.

Quote:Revealed: a web of police bids to infiltrate protest groups
Anti-nuclear and other groups back up Plane Stupid claimsBy Rob Edwards, Environment Editor
A LONG-RUNNING and intricate web of covert police attempts to spy on peaceful activists and infiltrate legitimate protest movements in Scotland has been uncovered by the Sunday Herald.
Citizens protesting against nuclear bases on the Clyde have been offered cash for intelligence by Ministry of Defence (MoD) police, it has been claimed, while environmental activists report similar offers from Strathclyde Police.
They all back up the revelation made yesterday that Strathclyde Police offered to pay Tilly Gifford, an anti-airport protester with Plane Stupid, to inform on the movement. She recorded two police officers making the proposals.
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The veteran anti-nuclear activist, Jane Tallents, from Helensburgh, told last night how she and five others arrested for blockading the Coulport nuclear arms depot on Loch Long were offered money by officers. They were all invited one by one for "cosy chats" with two female MoD police officers, she said.
They were taken from their police cells on September 7, 2005, she said, and asked if they would like to help by supplying information.
"They wanted to know who we were working with and asked if we could come to an arrangement," Tallents said. "It was pretty clear they were offering to give us money. I remember coming out and shouting to a friend that they were offering to pay us. We laughed about it."
Tallents said police spies were an occupational hazard for the anti-nuclear movement, and told how a woman later unmasked as an MoD policewoman had visited the Faslane peace camp. She said police spies used to be easy to spot by their shiny shoes, but even if they looked the part "they are still easy to spot because they can't talk from the heart".
Tallents' account of being offered money in 2005 was supported by another of those arrested at the time, Angie Zelter from north Norfolk.
A spokesman for the MoD police said last night: "We can neither confirm nor deny the specifics of the allegations, but the MoD police have a responsibility for the protection of MoD assets from terrorism and unlawful interference.
"This is a responsibility it takes very seriously and it uses all available legal powers to carry out these duties."
Other activists from Plane Stupid also spoke yesterday of being approached by Strathclyde Police. One, who declined to be named, said he met police officers at a garden centre in January, where he was asked about the group's activities and at the end of the conversation was given £20. "Then they asked me to sign a receipt using a false name," he said.
Another Plane Stupid protester, Kate Mackay, a 20-year-old student at Glasgow School of Art, said she had been left a hand-written letter on Strathclyde Police headed paper asking for a meeting. But when she tried to follow it up she couldn't trace the officer named.
Last night Strathclyde Police Assistant Chief Constable, George Hamilton, defended the police action, saying: "Officers of Strathclyde Police will, from time to time, engage with members of the public and protest groups to gather intelligence which will enable them to discharge that duty effectively.
"This responsibility is discharged in a manner which safeguards the identities of individuals who are prepared to provide such intelligence and is audited and monitored in accordance with the relevant legislation," he added.
"Officers from Strathclyde Police have been in contact with a number of protesters involved with the Plane Stupid protests, including Aberdeen Airport. The purpose of this has been to ensure any future protest activity is carried out within the law."
Opposition politicians called for a full explanation from the justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill. "What action will ministers take to prevent this kind of outrage in the future?" asked Green MSP Patrick Harvie.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "The justice secretary has discussed the matter with Strathclyde Police's assistant chief constable and is satisfied the force has acted proportionately and legitimately."
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldn...27.0.0.php

The Sunday Herald is a Scottish paper and one of the more robust MSM publications when it comes to confronting establishment interests.
Peter Presland

".....there is something far worse than Nazism, and that is the hubris of the Anglo-American fraternities, whose routine is to incite indigenous monsters to war, and steer the pandemonium to further their imperial aims"
Guido Preparata. Preface to 'Conjuring Hitler'[size=12][size=12]
"Never believe anything until it has been officially denied"
Claud Cockburn

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#3
So much for the Bill's motto "to Serve and Protect" eh Peter.

But then again as many people are slowly beginning to ask, exactly "whom" is the police motto directed towards?
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14
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#4
David Guyatt Wrote:So much for the Bill's motto "to Serve and Protect" eh Peter.

But then again as many people are slowly beginning to ask, exactly "whom" is the police motto directed towards?

Yet another of the vast and multiplying examples of Orwellian language inversion - our newly minted 'Ministry of Justice' being among the latest and most gross of them.

Policing is a particular hobby-horse of mine so I'm considering a separate thread somewhere on it.
Peter Presland

".....there is something far worse than Nazism, and that is the hubris of the Anglo-American fraternities, whose routine is to incite indigenous monsters to war, and steer the pandemonium to further their imperial aims"
Guido Preparata. Preface to 'Conjuring Hitler'[size=12][size=12]
"Never believe anything until it has been officially denied"
Claud Cockburn

[/SIZE][/SIZE]
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