Comments on: We must have a far-reaching inquiry into police spying

By: j_cee

j_cee — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 07:19:11 +0000

The smear/disinformation campaign that targeted the Lawrence family and others speaks volumes about the length police will go. Agree entirely that the state can’t be trusted to investigate this. It is a wake up call. Organizers need to be more pro-active in outing bad acts.

Here in Canada there was extensive undercover infiltration during G8/G20 meetings in Ontario and in the lead-up to Winter Olympics. Undercover cops spent a year and half infiltrating community organizations in Ontario, Quebec and BC.

By: Merrick

Merrick — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:21:26 +0000

The state cannot do a believable inquiry into a massive state cover up. From Widgery to Hutton to Hillsborough, we’ve seen what can happen. With 40 years and over 100 officers involved, we have barely begun to dig into the undercover political policing. The Hillsborough Independent Panel shows how to succeed where others fail.

Clive, Francis is “officer A”, but it appears to have taken several years for him to be trusting of the journalists and get confidence as a whistleblower before he would use his real name or be specific about his targets. It’s understandable – he did that first interview before Mark Kennedy was outed & none of the spies had told their story. To do it unprompted ( and unlike Max Clifford’s client Kennedy, unpaid) suggests he acts out of genuine conscience.

By: o

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:26:43 +0000

ACAB forever.

By: Clive P

Clive P — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 01:36:15 +0000

I thought it interesting that no mention has been made by the Guardian/Observer that they have carried some of the ‘Peter Francis’ story before.

The unnamed former cop who gave them info for a 2010 story was clearly him http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/14/undercover-policeman-infiltrated-violent-activists

Which raises several interesting points such as – Why was the ‘dirt on Stephen Lawrence’s family story’ not carried then?

Those who were the targets of his work dismissed several of his claims in 2010.