The media has gone into a feeding frenzy over what was described by Newsnight as the "deepening controversy over police agents". Yet still none of them are putting together the evidence that political policing has been used to trash the 'right to protest' in this country,of which the use of undercover coppers is only a small part, with FIT Teams, kettling and general harrassment of protestors being other major parts of the ongoing police strategy. Perhaps this is because these same journos are part of the media circus that allows the cops to get away with it as we march towards water cannon and a police state.
However, the long term infiltration of environmental and direct action groups in the UK by PC Mark Kennedy for a seven year period, must be causing some discomfort for the cops, as his antics in the UK and ,according to the Guardian another 22 countries, are beginning to be unravelled.
Today's Independent claims that Kennedy, who is missing but believed to be in the USA, has called in publicity Guru Max Clifford as he "prepares to sell his story". The report further notes that Nottingham Police have launched an internal inquiry into the mess, which will run alongside a limited IPCC inquiry which 'Amerdeep Somal, of the IPCC, said will focus on the alleged failure of Nottinghamshire Police to disclose relevant material to prosecutors.'
ACAB
The IPCC investigation is looking at the very issue which according to a report in today's Daily Mail is at the heart of moves by the 20 Ratcliffe defendants convicted shortly before Christmas to appeal their convictions:
...lawyers for the group have written to the Crown Prosecution Service to demand information on whether Kennedy had a role in gathering evidence on which they were convicted.
If he was and the jury was not informed, they could claim a miscarriage of justice had taken place, the Guardian newspaper reported.
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Recent revelations that Kennedy confirmed that a Leeds based activist, who used the name Lyn Watson, had also been a police infiltrator, are likely to have caused some scurrying around by cops yesterday.
The Guardian "decided, after representations from senior police officers, to refer to her only as Officer A, and to use pixellated pictures of her."
However it has already come to light that 'Lyn Watson' was a member of the now-defunct Clown Army and acted as a medic at Climate Camps, where she helpfully offered radios for hire!!!. Two pictures of her were published by Indymedia yesterday, which would have left the police with no choice other than to pull her from any undercover operations she might have currently been involved in. And she is not the only one!! According to the Guardian:
A police chief with detailed knowledge of the deployments of undercover officers in the protest movement said Kennedy's breach of protocol could lead to the "relocation of a considerable number of people".
That included undercover officers currently involved in ongoing police investigations across the UK and their families. "This is serious stuff," the police chief said. "Lots of people are at risk – their lives are at risk."
The irony of police operations being disrupted by Kennedy should not be lost on us. As a recent FitWatch article pointed out:
Some activists at the heart of international organising believe that the involvement of Mark and others like him ultimately led to the collapse of international networks aimed at organising protest on a European and International scale.
Because, despite Hugh Ordes protestations on Newsnight last night that the deployment of Kennedy was justified by his unmasking of the planned Ratcliffe action, the reality is that the action had not been in its planning stages for seven years, and much of Kennedy's role is likely to have been disruption of groups.
Also being reported today is that German politicians are tabling questions about the role Kennedy played in German actions, whilst an Irish politician has tabled questions after allegations that Kennedy acted as an 'agent provocateur' and was involved in physical attacks on the police in Dublin. He is also being described as a key figure in creating the Iceland movement.
Let us hope that further revelations about Kennedy come to light, to illustrate what a nasty piece of work he is, and that he cannot be trusted by anyone, {not even his handlers who have scurried off to the States to track him down and no doubt try and shut him up) before Max Clifford gets an opportunity to start earning commission on book deals and other money making deals for the former copper and corporate spy.
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