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Category: Metropolitan police

  • Watchdog launches probe after armed Met officers kill a man in London incident

    Armed police have shot a man dead during an incident in Kensington.

    The police watchdog is investigating what happened in west London on the afternoon of Saturday 11 December. The man died after he sustained gunshot wounds.

    Three shots

    The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a man with a firearm seen entering a bank and bookmakers near Marloes Road at 3.04pm.

    The force said the man was then seen getting into a vehicle and leaving the area.

    Kensington shooting
    Police cordoned off Kensington High Street (Aaron Chown/PA)

    At 3.19pm, armed officers stopped a vehicle at the junction of Kensington Road and Palace Gate next to Kensington Gardens.

    Reports suggest officers shot at the man, fatally injuring him. According to the Met, the officers fired shots and “a man sustained gunshot wounds”, adding:

    The London Ambulance Service and London Air Ambulance were called and the man was treated at the scene.

    Police said that despite the efforts of the emergency services, he was pronounced dead at 4.08pm.

    Witnesses heard three shots, according to reports.

    Kensington shooting
    Police at the scene in Kensington (Aaron Chown/PA)

    Inquiry

    The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. And the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

    The IOPC confirmed it has begun an investigation, with a spokesperson adding:

    After being notified of the incident… we sent investigators to the scene and the post-incident procedure to start gathering evidence

    Police said efforts are underway to confirm the man’s identity and inform his next of kin.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Rape victims say they are ‘belittled’ as number of withdrawn reports rises

    Rape victims in London have said they were “not believed” and were “belittled” by police, according to a new review which showed the number of people withdrawing reports within a month of making them has risen sharply.

    “Belittled”

    London’s independent victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman said the London Rape Review showed just 1% of people who said they were raped in the capital saw their case reach trial and two thirds of alleged victims withdrew their complaints. Conducted by the mayor’s office for policing and crime, the report looked at 450 allegations of rape made across London, alongside consultation from independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) and a surgery of rape victims in London.

    The review found that 64% of alleged victims withdrew their complaint within the first 30 days of reporting the rape – an increase from 18% in previous research from 2019. Thirty-eight per cent of alleged victims withdrew their complaints within seven days of making them.

    The review found victim responses to a survey and testimonies from independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) suggested complaints were withdrawn because “police officers may be inadvertently influencing victim/survivor confidence and decisions to withdraw”.

    One alleged victim said reporting that they had been raped was the “biggest mistake” they had ever made, as they claimed they were “belittled” and their experiences “minimised.”

    In the report, they said:

    They didn’t believe me, they belittled me, questioned my lifestyle and minimised my experiences.

    I felt worse for months compared to before my experience of reporting, and then to so quickly be told that my case had no merit and wasn’t prosecutable was the most invalidating experience.

    Another case study included in the report involved a male who reported a rape, in which he said officers told him “they would definitely need to take his phone, to see if there was evidence on it which discredited him, repeatedly emphasised how long and intrusive the justice process would be and how low conviction rates are”. The report said:

    They also made reference to the ‘gay cruising lifestyle’ and the gay dating app Grindr, as the attack had taken place in a car. A senior officer also told the survivor, ‘My wife and I sometimes get drunk and have sex and don’t remember it, that doesn’t make it rape’.

    ISVAs said that almost all of those they had worked with and had reported a rape in the capital had had their phone requested by police, despite them needing to follow reasonable lines of inquiry to request a phone.

    “Disproportionate requests”

    The report says that ISVAs described some cases where alleged victims were “explicitly told at the time of the request that the investigation will not be able to move forward if they don’t provide the phone”. It added:

    When challenged on potentially disproportionate requests, police officers often state that they are just pre-empting what the CPS will ask for.

    One alleged victim said:

    I was informed on a top line level that they wanted seven years of data from my phone, and that it may help the case but not any actual reason why. I had told the police that the perpetrator and myself had no contact and did not have each other’s details, but was still asked to hand my phone over.

    The review said that 50% of people who had been asked to give in their phones had consented to it.

    The review recommended improvements for the Metropolitan Police, including that information on victims’ phones, when requested, be downloaded and returned to them within 24 hours, and a replacement phone be provided if it “absolutely” has to be held for longer.

    It also said:

    The Government should amend the Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to safeguard a victim’s right to privacy when intrusive requests are made for third-party materials.

    Responding to the review, the Metropolitan Police said it is “absolutely determined to increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice”.

    Commander Melanie Dales, the Met’s lead on public protection, said reports of rape and sexual offences have increased in recent years, and the force has worked hard to meet the demand while providing support to victims. She said:

    Sexual offence investigations are some of the most complex police deal with. We know there is more to do to increase the number of cases brought before the courts.

    Dales said the Met has already taken “significant” steps to increase its performance which relates to the review’s recommendations and added: “Last month we announced that the Met is investing £11m in digital forensics to help us bring criminals to justice and deal more effectively and efficiently with victims of crimes”.

    She also claimed a “new agreement” between police and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) to “work much closer in the very early days of an investigation will mean stronger cases from the start and should lead to a faster charging decision”.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Police did not meet standards expected in serial killer probe – senior officer

    One of England’s most senior police officers has apologised to the families of Stephen Port’s victims, saying he was “deeply sorry” there were a number of opportunities missed to arrest the drug-rape predator.

    Failure to protect

    Deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy was not in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) during Port’s 16-month killing spree in 2014 and 2015 but led the review of the investigations into the deaths of four young gay men in Barking, East London. He highlighted five issues raised over the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor.

    Giving evidence on 19 November at inquests examining whether the victims could have been saved if police had acted differently, Cundy said:

    Every single one of you absolutely had a right to expect a professional investigation to the standards all of us expected.

    It’s fair to say those standards weren’t met.

    Stephen Port murders
    Daniel Whitworth, Jack Taylor, Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari were killed by Stephen Port (Metropolitan Police/PA)

    Inquest jurors heard Cundy’s review highlighted concerns over the quality of the initial investigations and the “professional curiosity” of those involved, as well as over police leadership, direction, and support to officers. He also raised concerns over the interactions between local policing and specialist crime investigators, the understanding of the use of the GHB drug – which Port fatally plied to his victims before dumping their bodies – and a lack of engagement with the LGBTQI+ community.

    Addressing the victims’ loved ones, Cundy said:

    I can’t imagine putting myself in your shoes.

    I am deeply sorry – personally and on behalf of the MPS – that we didn’t conduct the initial investigations to the standard you expected and the standard you deserved.

    Stephen Port murders
    Stuart Cundy, deputy assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, arrives to give evidence at the inquest (Yui Mok/PA)

    He said it was “a matter of personal disappointment” that things were not done as they should have been. Cundy added: “Please accept my sincerest apologies.”

    Evidence went unheeded

    The inquests previously heard accusations that police ignored intelligence, including from the victims’ family members and friends, that led to Port, and that the Metropolitan Police murder squad turned down requests from the borough officers to take over the investigations. There were substantial delays in analysing evidence on Port’s laptop, seized after he was initially arrested over Walgate’s death.

    There was also evidence that the local policing team was overworked as a result of cuts following the 2010 government spending review and did not have the specialist officers to investigate homicides.

    Stephen Port murders
    Stephen Port murdered four young men in Barking (Metropolitan Police/PA)

    Port, now 46, a former escort and bus depot chef, will die behind bars after being given a whole-life jail sentence for murdering Walgate, 23, Kovari, 22, Whitworth, 21, and Taylor, 25.

    The inquests continue.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Another Metropolitan Police officer is in prison facing a rape charge

    A Metropolitan Police officer has appeared in court charged with rape.

    PC Adam Zaman appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 27 October before district judge Snow.

    Zaman was represented by Ricky Blennerhassett. He is accused of raping a woman on Sunday 24 October at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street, central London.

    Not an isolated incident

    The charges against Zaman are doubly shocking, coming as they do after the brutal abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Serving Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens used his authority as a police officer to arrest, handcuff and ultimately kill Everard. On 30 September, Couzens was sentenced to life in prison.

    Moreover, under a fortnight ago – on 19 October – a Sussex Police officer was arrested for rape, and on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has since been released on bail.

    2000 allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape, have been made against serving police officers over the last four years. Among these, 370 were allegations of sexual assault, 100 allegations of rape and 18 were child sexual abuse allegations.

    Zaman suspended and remanded in custody

    Zaman denies the allegation put forward by prosecutor Jonathan Bryan.

    Bryan told the court the defendant was not on duty at the time of the alleged offence.

    During the 15-minute hearing, Zaman spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

    Snow told Zaman that he will be remanded in custody until his next appearance at Central Criminal Court. This is scheduled to take place on 24 November.

    The court heard that Zaman has been suspended from his post with the Metropolitan Police, which he has held since 2016.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • The first anniversary of Lamont Roper’s death reminds us we must continue to resist state violence

    7 October 2021 marks the first anniversary of the death of Lamont Roper, a young Black man who died during a police pursuit in Tottenham, London. He was found dead in a canal having been pursued by officers. And on the anniversary, Roper’s family speak out for the first time, saying he wouldn’t have jumped in of his own accord because he was “terrified of water”.

    Another death following police contact

    Roper, a 23-year-old Black man, fell into the Tottenham’s River Lea after a police chase on 7 October 2020. He was found dead in the water the next day. Speaking out for the first time on the first anniversary of his death, Roper’s family told INQUEST:

    We do not believe that he would have entered the water voluntarily as he could not swim and was terrified of water.

    On 7 October 2020, plain-clothes Metropolitan Police officers approached Roper and a group of friends. Officer PC Collins proceeded to pursue Roper along the River Lea towpath. Both Collins and Roper were riding electric bikes. It remains unclear how Roper came off his bike. But according to INQUEST, Roper fell into the water following Collins’ use of force. 

    The Met Police Marine Unit and London Fire Brigade searched the river that night, but called it off around midnight. On 8 October, a Met Police diver found Roper “within a couple of minutes”. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest into Roper’s death opened in 2020, with the final hearing due to take place between 22 and 30 November 2021.

    Still searching for answers

    Some of the officers present during the pursuit activated their body worn video cameras. But Collins did not. One year on from Roper’s death, his bereaved family is still seeking access to the existing footage.

    Roper’s family released a statement on the first anniversary of his death. They told INQUEST:

    We still have so many unanswered questions about how Lamont lost his life… We hope that the inquest into his death will robustly explore the circumstances of his death and in particular how he came to be in the water. We miss him every day and will not give up the fight for the truth.

    Towards abolitionist alternatives

    Sadly, Roper’s case is not an anomaly. On 6 April, 17-year-old Ronaldo Johnson died as a result of injuries sustained during a pursuit by Greater Manchester Police officers. Kids of Colour and the Northern Police Monitoring Project campaigners joined Johnson’s bereaved family and friends on 6 October to remember the young man’s life and demand justice for his untimely death:

    There have been at least 432 deaths during or following police pursuits in England and Wales since 1990. In spite of these figures and recent tragedies, the government’s draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill proposes to further increase officers’ powers when pursuing people.

    We have seen an increase in anti-police sentiment following then serving police officer Wayne Couzens’ false arrest, kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, and the heavy-handed policing of her vigil in Clapham.

    Deaths during or following some sort of police contact are tragically familiar. Since 1990, there have been at least 1,797 deaths in police custody or following police contact in England and Wales. Racially minoritised people are overrepresented in these numbers. In spite of these significant figures, the June 2021 conviction of PC Benjamin Monk for the killing of Dalian Atkinson was the first time in 35 years that a UK police officer had been found guilty of manslaughter following a death in police contact or custody.

    Stressing the importance of remembering all victims of state violence, one Twitter user said:

     

    Drawing attention to the under-reported inquest into Shane Bryant’s death at the hands of police, another Twitter user shared:

    While bereaved families and friends continue to seek answers, communities and campaigners continue to seek ways to resist state violence. For example, direct action feminist group Sisters Uncut recently announced plans to launch a network of CopWatch patrols to intervene in policing on the streets, and prevent more deaths in police custody. Anyone looking to get involved in the group’s police intervention training can sign up here.

    These recent tragedies and the government’s plans to further increase police powers demonstrate just how vital it is that we continue to resist state violence, which preys on the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. It’s time to maximise current anti-police sentiment and build a sustainable, broad-based movement towards accountability and abolitionist alternatives.

    Featured image via Tadas Petrokas/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Officers shared misogynistic, racist and homophobic messages with Sarah Everard’s murderer

    Police officers allegedly shared offensive messages with Wayne Couzens in the months before he killed Sarah Everard, according to reports.

    The police watchdog is investigating the conduct of several officers over allegations they sent the discriminatory messages over WhatsApp.

    Criminal probe

    The material was said to be misogynistic, racist and homophobic, the Times reported.

    As a result, two Met officers and another who used to work at the force, not Couzens, are the subject of a criminal probe by The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for improper use of phones.

    They, alongside a Norfolk police officer and one from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and another from the Met, are under investigation. It’s over allegedly sending the messages between March and October 2019. They’re also under investigation for claims that they failed to challenge the messages.

    The mobile phone messages were discovered during the police investigation into Everard’s murder.

    The officers are among 16 people the IOPC is looking at in several misconduct probes.

    The watchdog said it will soon decide what further action will be taken against a police constable on probation. The officer ended up staffing the cordon in the search for Everard. He was investigated for gross misconduct for allegedly sending an inappropriate image over WhatsApp about the case while off-duty.

    Two other constables on probation were also investigated over allegations that they shared the graphic and failed to challenge it.

    Lord Justice Fulford sentencing former police officer Wayne Couzens (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
    Lord Justice Fulford sentencing former police officer Wayne Couzens (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

    More alleged misconduct

    The watchdog’s report and conclusions have been passed on to Met Police.

    Findings will be published when a final decision has been made on what action will be taken against another group of officers. In this group, officers hail from several different forces. And they face allegations that one shared details of the interview Couzens gave under caution when there was “no policing purpose to do so”. Moreover, six others in the group allegedly failed to challenge this, two of which were accused of joining in the conversation.

    The IOPC said criminal or gross misconduct investigations do not necessarily mean that charges or disciplinary proceedings will follow.

    An investigation into how Couzens sustained head injuries while in custody on 10 and 12 March found they were “self-inflicted” and Met police followed the correct procedures.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Spycops accused of unlawful and sexist conduct in landmark judgement

    On 30 September, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) ruled in favour of one of the women deceived into a relationship by a spycop. The undercover policing inquiry found that police abused Kate Wilson’s human rights, drawing her ten-year legal battle to a close. The landmark judgement sets out a “‘formidable list” of human rights breaches from the Metropolitan Police. It concludes that the undercover policing operations against protestors were unlawful and sexist.

    Institutional sexism

    In 2003, environmental activist Wilson began a relationship with Mark Kennedy. She later found out that Kennedy was an undercover Metropolitan Police officer who had infiltrated a number of environmental groups. The tribunal considered evidence about Kennedy’s relationships with Wilson and a number of other women. The ruling found that the police violated Wilson’s fundamental human right to live free from inhumane and degrading treatment and her right to private and family life. It concluded that such deceptive relationships – which primarily impacted women – count as sexist discrimination. 

    The ruling highlighted that the force failed to put any structures in place to safeguard or protect the targets of undercover policing operations from officers seeking sexual relationships.

    The tribunal also considered evidence about the knowledge a number of senior Met Police officers had of Kennedy’s relationships with Wilson and other women. It concluded that the National Public Order Policing Unit (NPOPU) adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding officers initiating sexual relationships while undercover, with little regard for the impact on women’s lives.

    Other human rights violations

    The tribunal also considered whether the use of secret policing against protestors was “necessary in a democratic society” as set out by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Five other officers spied on Wilson: Jim Boyling, Jason Bishop, Rod Richardson, Lynne Watson, and Marco Jacobs. The tribunal also found that police violated Wilson’s right to hold opinions and her rights to freedom of expression and association. It added that the force failed to put structures in place that would protect the private lives of Wilson and other targets of undercover policing operations, calling Kennedy’s poorly defined operation a “fishing expedition”.

    Regarding the right to hold opinions and exchange information and ideas, the tribunal found that this “must, in our view, include the right to do so without attracting the attention of the police and being monitored and placed under surveillance”. Contrary to this right, the ruling concluded that undercover police targeted Wilson because of her political views.

    A long list of failings

    The ruling also indicted the Metropolitan Police’s conduct during the case. It stated that the force provided “unsatisfactory” and at times incomprehensible evidence. And it added that without Wilson’s “tenacity and perseverance” over the course of her ten-year legal battle against the police, “much of what this case has revealed would not have come to light”.

    The judgement concludes:

    This is a formidable list of Convention violations, the severity of which is underscored in particular by the violations of Arts 3 and 14. This is not just a case about a renegade police officer who took advantage of his undercover deployment to indulge his sexual proclivities, serious though this aspect of the case unquestionably is.

    It added:

    Our findings that the authorisations under RIPA were fatally flawed and the undercover operation could not be justified as “necessary in a democratic society”, as required by the ECHR, reveal disturbing and lamentable failings at the most fundamental levels.

    Time for institutional change

    Welcoming the ruling after her decade long legal battle, Wilson said:

    The events in my case happened years ago, however the failure of the police to protect women from sexual predators within their own ranks, and police attempts to criminalise protestors are both still very live issues today.

    She concluded:

    We need to tackle the misogyny and institutional sexism of the police and there needs to be a fundamental rethink of the powers they are given for the policing of demonstrations and the surveillance of those who take part.

    Director of the Centre for Women’s Justice Harriet Wistrich, who was a witness and Wilson’s lawyer in the early stages of the case, said:

    This excoriating judgement could not have come at a more significant moment when we hear the details of the horrendous murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met police officer who used deceit with the opportunities of his job to entrap her. What is it going to take to transform the culture of policing so that resources are used to protect women from abuse from violence, not to abuse them?

    Wilson’s case and the tribunal’s landmark ruling have provided unprecedented insight into undercover policing operations. The spycops inquiry is ongoing.

    Featured image via Cops Campaign/YouTube

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Don’t be fooled by the Met’s ‘anger’ and ‘devastation’ at Sarah Everard’s murder. The institution is complicit.

    Content warning: the article below contains material some readers may find distressing

    On 30 September, Lord Justice Fulford handed down a whole life sentence to Wayne Couzens for the “devastating, tragic and wholly brutal” murder of Sarah Everard. Couzens was a serving Metropolitan Police officer when he kidnapped, raped and murdered Everard. He remained an officer after police arrested him in March. The force eventually sacked him in July, over a month after Couzens pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of Everard, and a week after he pleaded guilty to her murder. Although the Met Police has attempted to distance itself from Couzens’ actions, campaigners have been quick to highlight that the institution is wholly complicit in Everard’s murder.

    Another death in police custody

    On 29 September, Couzens appeared at the Old Bailey for his sentencing in the kidnap, rape and murder of Everard. The court heard that Couzens – who was a serving Met Police officer at the time – handcuffed and falsely arrested Everard on 3 March in Clapham. Couzens showed Everard his warrant card before restraining her. Someone witnessed the off-duty officer handcuffing Everard and leading her to his car. They assumed that the young woman “must have done something wrong”. After kidnapping her, Couzens raped and murdered Everard, and left her body in the countryside.

    Reflecting on the devastating details of Everard’s murder, Roxy Legane tweeted:

    Jason Okundaye shared:

    In court, it emerged that Couzens may have may have used coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown regulations to stop Everard, who was on her way home. Underlining the injustices of the unprecedented restrictions and new police powers that the government introduced in the wake of the pandemic, Moya Lothian-McLean tweeted:

    Sarah Everard’s horrifying death drew widespread attention. But people from Black and other racially minoritised groups are overrepresented in the number of deaths following police contact. Urging people to critically assess officers’ conduct on the streets, Kojo Coram shared:

    Not just ‘one bad apple’

    Scotland Yard issued a statement ahead of Couzens’ sentencing, saying: 

    Georgia Lewis responded:

    Pre-empting the force’s attempts to distance itself from Couzens’ heinous crimes, feminist direct action group Sisters Uncut tweeted:

    Otegha Uwagba also shared:

    Sharing this sentiment, Black Lives Matter UK shared:

    Underlining the toxic culture and lack of accountability inherent in the country’s police forces, Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome shared:

    Feminist campaign group Level Up added:

    Calling for institutional accountability, senior researcher at the Center for Countering Digital Hate Sophie Wilkinson tweeted:

    No more police powers

    Highlighting the devastating impact of the government’s ‘law and order’ response to Everard’s murder, one Twitter user shared:

    Expanded police powers will hit people from already overpoliced and underprotected communities hardest – working class communities, communities of colour, disabled people, queer folks, and people from marginalised genders. Urging people to resist the inevitable expansion of police powers in response to Everard’s case, Ilyas Nagdee tweeted:

    Shahed Ezaydi explains carceral feminism as “feminism that pushes for increased policing, surveillance, and harsher laws and policies when dealing with gendered violence”. This is based on the flawed assumption that these systems and institutions are fundamentally just, supportive and benevolent to all victims and survivors. Seeking abolitionist alternatives to carceral feminist solutions to gendered violence, Sisters Uncut has launched a Copwatch Police Intervention project:

    Anyone looking to get involved in the Sisters Uncut’s new programme can sign up via the organisation’s online form. The horrifying details of Couzens’ conduct, and the lack of institutional accountability regarding the case show us just how vital it is that we maintain momentum in resisting the state’s increasingly authoritarian agenda.

    Featured image via Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Judges criticise Met police after woman wins spy cop case

    Tribunal rules in favour of Kate Wilson over breach of human rights, citing ‘lamentable failings’

    Police have been been severely criticised by judges who ruled that they grossly violated the human rights of a woman who was deceived into a long-term intimate relationship by an undercover officer.

    The judges ruled overwhelmingly in favour of Kate Wilson, an environmental and social justice activist, who has pursued a decade-long campaign to uncover the truth.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Police brutalised another schoolboy. Scrapping stop and search is long overdue.

    Content warning: the video below contains footage some readers may find distressing

    On 20 September, footage emerged of Metropolitan Police officers allegedly brutalising 13-year-old Benjamin Olajive during a stop and search in Streatham, south London. This is the latest in a number of incidents in September which have intensified calls from campaigners to scrap the practice, which police continue to use disproportionately and excessively against Black people.

    Nothing but an afro comb

    On 20 September, a mob of Metropolitan Police officers stopped 13-year-old Olajive while searching for a Black person carrying a knife. Olajive, who has ADHD and PTSD, was wearing his school uniform at the time. In distressing footage, he can be heard crying out: “my hands, my hands” as officers forcefully handcuff him. Members of the local community soon rushed to support Olajive, and demand that officers answer for their actions.

    Sharing some footage of the incident, one person tweeted:

    After a 45 minute search, the ‘offensive’ item officers found turned out to be an afro comb. Criminal defence lawyer Aamer Anwar shared:

    Questioning officers’ decision to take the boy to the police station having found nothing but an afro comb, barrister Michael Etienne shared:

    Olajive’s mother Zeyna Kada has accused the Metropolitan Police of using excessive force against her son. She states that officers “manhandled”, “strangled” and “scratched” him, and failed to take his ADHD and PTSD into account. Photos allegedly show blood on the sleeves of Olajive’s school shirt from where officers handcuffed the boy.

    Another photo shows the 13-year-old with a swollen eye following the incident. Kada maintains that her son is traumatised as a result of his distressing encounter with police. According to the Metropolitan Police, the complaint regarding the incident is under investigation.

    Outrage

    Expressing her dismay at the incident, Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy shared:

    Highlighting the historic criminalisation of afro combs in Britain, Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice shared:

    Calling on the Met to provide Olajive with compensation and mental health support following the traumatic ordeal, children and young people’s mental health lead at the Centre for Mental Health Kadra Abdinasir said:

    Time to scrap stop and search

    The incident came just two weeks after footage emerged of a school-based police officer assaulting an autistic 10-year-old pupil. And on 13 September, a Metropolitan Police officer injured a 70-year-old Black man during a stop and search in Bromley, south east London.

    Meanwhile, an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report published in September found that police racially profiled school support worker Dwayne Francis in a stop and search. These incidents reflect the reality that police continue to use stop and search powers disproportionately against Black people, with most searches not leading to an arrest.

    Highlighting the police’s excessive and disproportionate use of stop and search powers against Black people, Black Lives Matter UK shared:

    Explaining the harmful impact that state violence has on Black children, psychologist Guilaine Kinouani said:

    Calling for an end to harmful stop and search practices once and for all, Manchester-based campaigner Deej Malik-Johnson tweeted:

    Citing the incident as further evidence of the harm that investing the police with more powers could cause (as set out in the government’s proposed draconian Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill) John O’Connell said:

    Decades of evidence point to the fact that stop and search practices don’t work to curb crime, and only serve to control and traumatise marginalised people and communities. It’s time to scrap the harmful practice once and for all.

    Featured image via Metro – Screengrab

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Met Police give commissioner their ‘full support’ despite corruption allegations

    Metropolitan Police officers have given their “full support” to commissioner Cressida Dick after critics called for her to be replaced. Dick recently refused to accept the findings of an independent panel that uncovered institutional corruption in the force.

    Popular with the police

    Ken Marsh is chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation which represents more than 30,000 officers in London. He said Dick had the “full support of the rank and file”.

    Marsh told the PA news agency that Dick’s leadership had been “excellent”. He added that Dick’s “ability to communicate with officers of all ranks is quite incredible”.

    It comes after a number of high-profile figures signed an open letter to the prime minister. The letter accused Dick of “presiding over a culture of incompetence and cover-up” following reports she had been offered a two-year extension to her contract.

    Police reforms

    The letter sent earlier this week urged Boris Johnson to replace the commissioner, arguing that she:

    must be properly investigated for her conduct, along with predecessors and those in her inner circle, who she appointed and who have questions to answer.

    Signatories included baroness Doreen Lawrence, lady Diana Brittan, former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, and broadcaster Paul Gambaccini. All of them have expressed disappointment or criticism of the police over cases affecting them. Their letter also urged the police watchdog, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), to introduce reforms.

    Marsh told PA that he understands “fully” the positions the letter signatories are in and his “heart goes out to them”. He said he didn’t have an issue with police reform “whatsoever”, but said “that’s for the Government to decide”.

    Institutional corruption

    The independent panel which found corruption looked into the death of private investigator Daniel Morgan and the subsequent police handling of the case. The report found:

    Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation’s public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.

    Chairwoman and baroness Nuala O’Loan told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee:

    We have found the Met to be institutionally corrupt and the responses by senior officers to the report have been most disappointing.

    The public statements which we have heard from the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner (and) Assistant Commissioner in the days following the publication illustrate exactly the problem we have been describing.

    The peer said senior officers “have continued to lack candour” in their public statements even after the publication of the damning report.

    Dishonesty and betrayal

    Moreover, baroness O’Loan said “incompetence and corrupt acts” had hampered all the investigations into Morgan’s death. She said:

    The Met, as an organisation, has not responded honestly to the public and to the family about the serious failures including incompetence and corrupt acts in the murder investigations over the past 34 years

    She added:

    The Metropolitan Police has placed concern for its reputation above the public interest.

    There has been dishonesty for the benefit of the reputation of the organisation and that is institutional corruption, and the statements made on behalf of the Met have continued to lack candour, even after the publication of our report when they referred specifically only to the failings in the first investigation.

    She further stated:

    This is a betrayal of the family, and it’s also a betrayal of the public and of good, honest officers. And it will diminish trust.

    Federation response

    A separate statement from Marsh’s federation said it “fully supports” Dick’s contract extension, adding:

    It is easy to comment and criticise from the sidelines.

    It added:

    Whilst the federation does not always agree with the Commissioner – the same goes for anyone who holds that post – we think she is doing a good job in difficult circumstances.

    Many of the voices we hear calling for the Commissioner to go are the same ones who, following the Clapham Common vigil earlier this year, rounded on our colleagues criticising their work. They were, of course, proven to be completely wrong when Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary looked at the policing of the event.

    In July, The Canary covered a report that found “significant failings” in the policing of the mentioned vigil. The report added that the policing was “unlawful and breached fundamental rights”.

    “Errors”

    On 10 September, Proctor warned that Dick should be replaced to avoid any future “errors” by the Met. The ex-Tory MP was one of three men who had their houses raided by officers from the Met’s failed Operation Midland. The operation was launched in reaction to false allegations by jailed fantasist Carl Beech about a murderous VIP paedophile ring.

    Gambaccini, who was falsely accused of historical sex offences, said:

    Londoners deserve a first class police service, they do not currently have one.

    Baroness Lawrence – mother of teenager Stephen Lawrence who died in a racist attack in 1993 – has previously voiced her disappointment after an investigation into her son’s death was shelved last year.

    Lady Brittan’s home was raided when her late husband lord Brittan was falsely accused of child abuse as part of Operation Midland. She previously told the Home Affairs Select Committee that public figures caught up in the scandal had still not received justice.

    A Home Office spokesperson previously said:

    The appointment of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service is a formal process which will be confirmed in the proper way.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Exclusive: Met Police refuses to tell us if it holds information on The Canary

    The Metropolitan Police response to a freedom of information (FOI) request has, once again, left us wanting. As part of the #ResistBigBrother series, we’ve been monitoring potential ways that police forces have been sidestepping public scrutiny.

    Whilst the FOI Act exists to open up public access to authorities, many journalists have been having trouble with it. As The Canary previously reported, the Home Office has had to remind its press officers of a duty to impartiality after we uncovered their inconsistent responses to us. We also reported on an Open Democracy investigation which uncovered a possible ‘Orwellian’ unit that blacklists certain journalists:

    the idea of a unit being designed and set up to screen journalists is incredibly troubling. By suppressing the freedom of the press, authorities run the risk of destabilising democracy and violating the public’s right to freedom of information.

    What happened this time?

    We got in touch with the Met Police and asked it if it could show us any correspondence that mentioned either The Canary, Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol),or CAGE. The latter two organisations both work to challenge excessive policing in a number of contexts. The Canary has worked with Netpol and CAGE a number of times, often on police monitoring.

    We asked for any information it may be able to provide via the correspondence of the Specialist Operations Assistant Commissioner, the Head of Security and Protection, the official in charge of Counter Terrorism Command, and the Chief Digital and Technology Officer. We also asked for information from certain databases that may mention any of these three organisations.

    The response came that it refused to confirm or deny if it held information on any of the above counts on the grounds of:

    Section 24(2) – National Security

    Section 31(3) – Law Enforcement

    Section 40(5) – Personal Information

    This isn’t the first time we’ve either had, or seen, a FOI request denied on the grounds of national security. Indeed, when we showed the National Union of Journalists the full FOI response we received, it shared some of our concerns. An NUJ spokesperson said:

    The NUJ remains concerned that some FOI requests have been blocked on the grounds of national security. Freedom of Information legislation was brought into law to make public authorities more transparent and accountable, yet what we are seeing in practice is the use of the legislation to block, deter or prevent access to information that should be in the public domain.

    When The Canary showed the full response to Netpol, it had a similar reaction. Campaigns coordinator Kevin Blowe told us:

    Considering the police’s long history of retaining data on a huge number of campaigners without justification, you’d think the Metropolitan Police would be eager to show they now act proportionately, by confirming that they do not hold records on groups like Netpol or CAGE and especially a media organisation like the Canary.

    Is this information a threat to national security?

    That remains to be seen. But, the point made by the NUJ and Netpol is an important one. If national security concerns are being used to block the release of information that should be available to access, this has terrible implications for freedom of information.

    The Met Police explain its decision further in its response:

    Modern-day policing is intelligence led and which is particularly pertinent with regard to law enforcement. The public expect police forces to use all powers and tactics available to them to prevent and detect crime or disorder and maintain public safety. Any information identifying the focus of policing activity could be used to the advantage of extremist or criminal organisations.

    The Canary is a media organisation. It is difficult to see how a news outlet that specialises in monitoring egregious police activity could have information about itself restricted because of these type of security concerns.

    What information could the Met Police hold on The Canary that, if disclosed in a FOI request, would compromise national security?

    ‘Fixated individuals’

    It’s standard practice for FOI responses to show how they reached their decision. They’ll show the arguments for releasing the information, and then discuss if this is overtaken by other grounds. In this instance, the decision to neither confirm nor deny involves balancing a test of public interest against national security.

    When explaining this, the Met Police says:

    By confirming or denying whether or not the MPS had an interest in CAGE, The Canary and Netpol would mean that law enforcement tactics would be compromised which would hinder the prevention and detection of crime. Police tactics and methodology are re-used and are known to have been monitored by criminal groups, fixated individuals and terrorists.

    What jumps out here is the term “fixated individuals.” The Canary asked the Met Police’s information manager to explain, and they told us:

    A fixated individual refers to a person who has an intense or obsessive interest in another individual, place or cause.

    In regards to its use in your response, the fixation relates to an interest in police tactics, methodology etc.

    What’s wrong with that?

    Given the nature of both CAGE and Netpol’s work, using this definition, they could well be classed as fixated.

    That itself is the problem with the apparent stonewalling of information happening here. If individuals show an interest in police tactics and methodology, it is perfectly conceivable they do so because they’re concerned about excessive police tactics, the targeting by police of minority communities, and overall harm the police may be perpetuating. Does that necessarily make them ‘fixated’, ‘intense’ or ‘obsessive’?

    We’d go further and argue that such a characterisation – particularly one that groups ‘fixated individuals’ with criminal groups and terrorists – is deeply troubling for the function of freedom of information. Of course, excessive requests and abuse of the FOI system would be a concern for authorities. But, that’s plainly not what’s happening here.

    Blowe also made it clear that the lack of access to information through legitimate channels makes a mockery of the FOI system:

    Britain’s freedom of information laws are so weak and police transparency so absent that the Met might as well tell everyone, upfront, never to ask about any aspect of its intelligence capacity – even though this is a legitimate and widely reported issue of public concern – because the answer is always “not now, not ever.”

    The bottom line is that individuals who pay attention to police tactics with a view to combating historical and well-documented police abuses should not be seen as fixated. We’re not wrong to be suspicious as to why these FOI requests are being blocked.

    Featured image via Unsplash/ Tadas Petrokas

    By Maryam Jameela

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • More than 500 arrested as Extinction Rebellion protests continue in London

    Police have arrested more than than 500 people during Extinction Rebellion’s protests in London.

    The environmental group began their ‘Impossible Rebellion’ action on 23 August. The Metropolitan Police said since the action began, as of 6.30pm on Saturday 4 September they had arrested 508 people.

    In a tweet that almost seemed to brag about the number, the Metropolitan Police Events account said:

    March For Nature

    It comes after another wave of demonstrations from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion at Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

    The groups ‘stand in solidarity’ with Extinction Rebellion. They met at the London landmark during the afternoon for a “March For Nature”.

    Protesters could be seen in colourful costumes. And they held signs such as “The Amazon Rainforest Is At Tipping Point”, “Indigenous Emergency” and “Act Now”.

    Speeches took place, campaigners chanted, while a large pink octopus creation was paraded around.

    Animal Rebellion protests
    A colourful protest took place on Saturday (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

    Extinction Rebellion also shared clips on social media of campaigners sitting in the road and holding signs to block traffic across the capital.

    Heavy police presence

    Deputy assistant commissioner Matt Twist said nearly 2,000 officers have been involved in policing the activists every day.

    Twist told Times Radio on Friday 3 September:

    It’s not the numbers of protesters but it’s the level of serious disruption that they’re looking to cause, which is impacting on other Londoners.

    We’ve said right from the start, we know that Extinction Rebellion have the right to protest and the right to assemble.

    But what we also made clear is these are qualified rights and they have got to be balanced against the rights of the rest of London and Londoners, the people, the businesses, the communities who want to lawfully go about their business.

    Where we’ve seen cases of both very serious and totally unreasonable disruption looking to be caused, we have to take action and move in and make arrests.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • ‘No-one above the law’ says Met chief regarding prince Andrew rape allegations

    The Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said “no-one is above the law” when questioned about claims of sexual assault against prince Andrew Windsor. Dick herself recently received criticism after refusing to accept the findings of a report which uncovered institutional corruption in the Metropolitan Police.

    No investigation

    Dick added that she has asked officers to review allegations connected to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, having so far decided not to open an investigation. Appearing on LBC Radio on 12 August, Dick was asked what inquiries have taken place into the allegations from Virginia Giuffre concerning the duke. Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Epstein, Windsor’s friend, to have sex with the prince when she was 17 and a minor under US law.

    Windsor has denied the allegations in the past, and a spokesperson for the prince said there was “no comment” when asked to respond to Giuffre filing a civil suit for damages in the US.

    Dame Cressida Dick
    Cressida Dick (Ian West/PA)

    Dick told LBC:

    I’m not going to talk about individuals, but what I can say is that I think what you’re referring to is associated with Jeffrey Epstein, who I will talk about since he is deceased.

    And the position there is that we have had more than one allegation that is connected with Mr Epstein and we have reviewed those, assessed those, and we have not opened an investigation.

    The Duke of York
    Windsor has denied Giuffre’s allegations (Yui Mok/PA)

    She said the force looked at three things:

    Is there evidence of a crime, is this the right jurisdiction for this to be dealt with, and is the person against whom the crime is alleged still alive?

    “We have concluded that there is no investigation for us to open and we haven’t”, she said, adding it was the “right decision” after advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and being reviewed twice.

    Dick added:

    I’m aware that currently there is a lot more commentary in the media and an apparent civil court case going on in America and we will, of course, again review our position… but at the moment there is no investigation.

    Asked if the prince is “above the law”, she replied:

    No-one is above the law.

    The recent report into the Metropolitan Police found the Met:

    to be institutionally corrupt and the responses by senior officers to the report have been most disappointing.

    The public statements which we have heard from the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner (and) Assistant Commissioner in the days following the publication illustrate exactly the problem we have been describing.

    Dick said the Met is “open to working with authorities from overseas”, adding:

    As a result of what’s going on, I’ve asked my team to have another look at the material.

    Virginia Giuffre
    Virginia Giuffre (Crime + Investigation)

     

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Met accused of ‘betrayal of public’ over 1987 unsolved murder

    Britain’s biggest police force has been accused of a “betrayal of the public” and continuing to “lack candour” in its statements over the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

    Betrayal

    The Metropolitan Police were accused of institutional corruption by an independent panel over the 1987 killing, which has remained unsolved despite at least four police investigations and an inquest. Father-of-two Morgan was murdered with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, South-East London, in March that year, and his killer has never been brought to justice.

    On 14 July, chairwoman of the panel Baroness Nuala O’Loan told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that public statements made by senior officers following the panel’s report were “most disappointing”.

    Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report
    Daniel Morgan Independent Panel chairwoman Baroness Nuala O’Loan (left), with panel members Silvia Casale and Samuel Pollock, at the publication of their report in June (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

    Met commissioner Cressida Dick, assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave, and deputy commissioner Stephen House were all defiant and refused to accept the finding of institutional corruption.

    “Institutionally corrupt”

    The report said:

    Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation’s public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.

    Baroness O’Loan told the committee:

    We have found the Met to be institutionally corrupt and the responses by senior officers to the report have been most disappointing.

    The public statements which we have heard from the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner (and) Assistant Commissioner in the days following the publication illustrate exactly the problem we have been describing.

    The peer said senior officers “have continued to lack candour” in their public statements even after the publication of the damning report.

    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick
    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has refused to accept the accusation of institutional corruption levelled at her force (Ian West/PA)

    Baroness O’Loan said “incompetence and corrupt acts” had hampered all the investigations into Morgan’s death. She said:

    The Met, as an organisation, has not responded honestly to the public and to the family about the serious failures including incompetence and corrupt acts in the murder investigations over the past 34 years

    She added:

    The Metropolitan Police has placed concern for its reputation above the public interest.

    There has been dishonesty for the benefit of the reputation of the organisation and that is institutional corruption, and the statements made on behalf of the Met have continued to lack candour, even after the publication of our report when they referred specifically only to the failings in the first investigation.

    She further stated:

    This is a betrayal of the family, and it’s also a betrayal of the public and of good, honest officers. And it will diminish trust.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Report highlights ‘significant failings’ in the policing of Sarah Everard vigil and Bristol protests

    On 1 July, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Democracy and the Constitution published a report following its inquiry on the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil in London and Kill the Bill protests in Bristol. The report highlights “significant failings” in the policing of both events. It sets out that the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil in Clapham was “unlawful and breached fundamental rights”. It adds that Avon and Somerset Police used “disproportionate” force against Kill the Bill protesters in Bristol.

    A damning report

    In March, hundreds attended a vigil in Clapham, London to pay their respects to 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who was abducted and killed by a serving police officer while walking home. As reported by The Canary, attendees were met with “violent” and heavy-handed policing.

    Regarding the Sarah Everard vigil, the APPG report found that the Metropolitan Police’s “assumption that the gathering was unlawful… was the wrong place to start”. It adds that assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe displayed a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the law regarding the right to protest in the UK. Regarding officer’s treatment of attendees, the report states that on several occasions, the police’s use of force “was not proportionate”. It concludes that the Met “did not take proper account of the right to protest, including the obligation to facilitate peaceful and safe protest”.

    ‘Excessive’ and ‘disproportionate’ policing

    The APPG report also condemns Avon & Somerset Police’s handling of Kill the Bill protests in Bristol. Following the Metropolitan Police’s heavy-handed response to the vigil on Clapham Common, people came together to protest the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The bill includes plans to clamp down on the right to protest, and to increase police powers. Echoing what witnesses told The Canary in March, the APPG report explains that events in Bristol “escalated after police undertook enforcement action against peaceful sit-down protests”.

    The report confirms that Avon & Somerset Police “failed to distinguish between violent and peaceful protestors, leading to the use of force in unjustified situations”. The APPG highlights concerns about officers’ “disproportionate” and “excessive” use of force against peaceful protesters in Bristol, including the use of dogs, batons and riot shields. It adds that witnesses described the force’s crackdown on protesters following Bristol’s first Kill the Bill protest as “revenge policing”. Evidence includes the cases of Katie McGoran and Grace Hart, who both experienced wrongful detention at the hands of Avon & Somerset Police officers following protests.

    The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) submitted evidence to the inquiry about the policing of protests in Bristol. Responding to the APPG’s findings, a spokesperson told The Canary:

    The conclusions of this report are damning. We have long known that we cannot trust the police to protect our right to protest, and this report documents the utter failure of the police to consider their obligations under law to respect freedom of assembly rights. It even concludes that the enforcement approach taken by the police may have “caused, or at least exacerbated, some of the violence”.

    They added:

    Netpol has been calling for greater transparency from the police around the policing of protest and use of force, and in the absence of any data from the police on these we worked with grassroots groups to submit detailed evidence of the police violence in Bristol. Serious questions need to be asked and officers need to be held to account, as the report concludes that Avon and Somerset police’s use of force was excessive and unjustified, and may even amount to a criminal offence.

    Continued resistance to the bill

    The APPG sets out recommendations regarding the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which returns to Parliament on 5 July. Responding to this, a spokesperson from Netpol told The Canary:

    We wholeheartedly welcome the recommendation of the report to completely remove the sections of the Bill which give the police powers to restrict protests. But this still wouldn’t address the issues with this draconian Bill, as it doesn’t address the measures which criminalise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, or extend the power of the state to stop, search, surveil and incarcerate vulnerable people.

    Resistance against the proposed draconian bill continues unabated. Thousands of protesters descended on London on 26 June. The Kill the Bill coalition is now urging people to ask their MPs to support amendments to the proposed bill. These include Zarah Sultana’s call for an inquiry into the policing of protests, and Apsana Begum’s amendment seeking to scrap government plans for ‘secure schools‘. In spite of the heavy-handed policing meted out against peaceful protesters in March, Bristol’s 14th Kill the Bill protest is due to take place on 3 July.

    Featured image via Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona/Unsplash

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • UN calls for end of ‘impunity’ for police violence against black people

    Report launched in aftermath of George Floyd murder cites example of 2018 death of Kevin Clarke in UK

    A UN report that analysed racial justice in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd has called on member states including the UK to end the “impunity” enjoyed by police officers who violate the human rights of black people.

    The UN human rights office analysis of 190 deaths across the world led to the report’s damning conclusion that law enforcement officers are rarely held accountable for killing black people due in part to deficient investigations and an unwillingness to acknowledge the impact of structural racism.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Woman arrested at Sarah Everard vigil to start legal challenge against Met

    Patsy Stevenson is preparing to initiate legal proceedings unless Met withdraw fixed penalty notice

    A woman who was arrested at a London vigil for Sarah Everard has said she is preparing to initiate legal proceedings against the Metropolitan police unless they withdraw the fixed penalty notice they imposed on her.

    The image of 28-year-old physics student Patsy Stevenson being pinned to the floor by two male police officers, hands held behind her back, on 13 March was one of the defining images in criticism of how the vigil on Clapham Common was policed.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Woman arrested at Sarah Everard vigil preparing for legal action against the Met

    A woman who was arrested at the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard is preparing to start legal action against the Metropolitan Police. Patsy Stevenson has told Scotland Yard that she intends to start proceedings against the force should it not withdraw the fixed penalty notice she was issued with.

    Stevenson is also asking for an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and an apology. Images of the physics student being handcuffed and held down by two male officers sparked anger at Scotland Yard’s policing of the gathering on March 13.

    The vigil goes ahead

    Hundreds attended the vigil in south-west London to pay their respects to 33-year-old Ms Everard, who was killed after disappearing while walking home.

    Sarah Everard tributes
    People viewing floral tributes left at the bandstand in Clapham Common, London, for Sarah Everard (Victoria Jones/PA)

    The event had originally been organised by Reclaim These Streets, who cancelled it after the Met said it should not go ahead, and no definitive answer on the matter was provided by the High Court. But people turned up throughout the day, and officers did not intervene for the first six hours while many came to lay flowers.

    Ms Stevenson said the vigil was an important space for women to grieve together and she had drawn strength from the number of women who attended. She said:

    I am angry that the police shut down our space to mourn and comfort each other and I feel violated that male officers used physical force to do so.

    I will not be silenced by such actions and I am prepared to robustly challenge the police for their conduct on that day until there has been an acknowledgment and apology for their wrongdoing.

    Rachel Harger, a Bindmans solicitor representing Ms Stevenson, said the Met maintained a position that participation in the event was a criminal act which was “wrong in law… seriously ill-advised and entirely unnecessary”.

    She continued:

    The decision by officers to then move to heavy-handed physical enforcement of the coronavirus regulations in order to arbitrarily arrest Patsy, seemingly just so officers could obtain her personal details to issue her with a Fixed Penalty Notice, showed utter contempt for her rights to privacy, freedom of expression and freedom to assemble and associate.

    At the very least, the Metropolitan Police must provide a full and meaningful apology for this disastrous policing operation and the manhandling of women who had gathered only to express their collective anger and grief.

    Sisters Uncut, a feminist campaign group which attended the vigil, said it is:

    impossible for women to implicitly trust that the police are there to protect us.

    The group added:

    It is the treatment of survivors who have reported rape and domestic violence, the policing of women at this vigil, together with the conduct of undercover police officers which all point to systemic failures and long term institutional sexism.

    Police heavy-handedness?

    By the evening, hundreds of people had gathered and refused to leave when asked by police, leading to clashes that saw protesters bundled to the ground and arrested. The Met faced a barrage of criticism, including calls for Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign.

    An official report from the watchdog, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), backed the Met’s handling of the event and found no evidence of heavy-handedness.

    Ms Stevenson, from Surrey, says she intends to “robustly challenge” the force until there has been an acknowledgement and apology for wrongdoing.

    Clapham Common
    The protest in Clapham Common (Victoria Jones/PA)

    “Excessive force and unnecessary arrests”

    She received a letter dated April 19 telling her that a Met officer had issued her with a fixed penalty notice in the sum of £200 on the basis that she was “present at a large-scale gathering”.

    A pre-action letter, sent to the force by Bindmans LLP, argues that the notice was the consequence of an “unlawful” policing operation where some attendees were subject to “excessive force and unnecessary arrests”.

    The position on vigils or protests was that police were expected to look at each individual event and weigh up the public health risks with the right to protest and freedom of expression involved.

    Freedom of expression

    Ms Stevenson’s lawyers say the policing breached her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association. They argue that exercising these rights would have been a “reasonable excuse” for her to breach coronavirus regulations restricting people from gathering.

    And they note a report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights from March which stated that:

    going on a protest, if conducted in a manner that minimises the risk of spreading Covid-19, could have been and could remain a lawful reason to leave the home during lockdown.

    Cressida Dick
    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick (Jonathan Brady/PA)

    The Met has been asked to reply by Friday July 2. Scotland Yard was approached for comment.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Daniel Morgan’s son calls findings of the report a ‘national shame’

    The son of Daniel Morgan has labelled the findings of a report into his father’s death a “national shame”. And he has criticised the Metropolitan Police for its response to the report.

    A report by an independent panel accused the Met of “a form of institutional corruption”. This was for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

    Morgan was killed with an axe in the car park of a pub in south-east London in March 1987. He was a private detective at the time.

    Despite five police inquiries and an inquest, no one has faced justice over Morgan’s killing. The force has admitted corruption over the original murder investigation.

    Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report
    The panel accused the Met of ‘a form of institutional corruption’ (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

    No consequences

    Morgan’s son, also named Daniel, was four when his father died. He has hit out at the Met for not accepting the panel’s findings. He told the BBC:

    It’s a personal tragedy for us and a national shame.

    It’s difficult to feel proud of being a Londoner when the people who protect us have failed, and are allowed to fail and there’s no consequence for those failings

    Commissioner Cressida Dick said it was a “matter of great regret that no-one has been brought to justice and that our mistakes have compounded the pain suffered by Daniel’s family”.

    However, she hit back at the findings as she defended Scotland Yard’s work and her job.

    Lacking credibility

    Morgan said in response:

    I think we’ve heard enough apologies… what they’ve said doesn’t give us grounds for confidence that they can approach the follow-up work that’s clearly required from a document with such gravity.

    He also said:

    I just don’t see the Metropolitan Police as a credible organisation and what they say makes it to me feel even less credible.

    And frankly it makes me angry.

    Morgan has previously declined to have his photograph taken or do a television interview. He’s said that he likes to keep a “level of anonymity”.

    Findings

    Led by baroness Nuala O’Loan, the panel found the Met put protecting its own reputation above finding Morgan’s killer.

    The panel’s report said:

    Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation’s public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.

    The Met admitted in 2011 that corruption in its ranks had hampered the grossly inadequate first investigation into Morgan’s murder. During this investigation, the force left the murder scene left unsearched and unguarded.

    A ‘cancerous’ culture

    Morgan added

    I think the commissioner should consider her position.

    A lot of this happened way before she was ever the commissioner but she is a continuation of the same culture, I’m afraid.

    The culture of the Metropolitan Police is cancerous and I think the only way that you get rid of cancer is you cut it out.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Met Officers investigated for inappropriately accessing Sarah Everard case files

    Met Police bosses are checking whether all the officers and staff who accessed files relating to Sarah Everard’s death did so legitimately. The force’s internal Directorate of Professional Standards is contacting all employees who looked at the records to check why they viewed the files.

    The force would not say how many officers and staff were being contacted or why the action was being taken, but one officer linked to the investigation is already being examined by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after sharing a highly offensive graphic with colleagues.

    Highly offensive

    The probationary constable in question was a cordon officer in Kent during searches. They have been placed in a non-public facing role while the matter is investigated. According to the Independent:

    the force said its directorate of professional standards was made of aware of the incident after “a number of officers” who received the graphic reported being “concerned by its content”.

    However, the Met has since stated that the graphic, which the officer shared on an undisclosed social media site, did not contain photographs or images of Everard, nor any “material related to the investigation into her death”.

    The Met under scrutiny?

    Marketing executive Everard went missing as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on 3 March.

    A major police investigation was launched and her body was found a week later in woodland in Kent. Met officer Wayne Couzens is now in custody, accused of her murder.

    Vigils held for Sarah also sparked controversy, after police were accused of aggression and violence towards protesters. Meanwhile, as The Canary previously reported, a police watchdog faced further accusations of ‘rubber-stamping‘ the force’s apparent heavy handedness. Floral tributes for Sarah Everard near the bandstand on Clapham Common

    Floral tributes for Sarah Everard near the bandstand on Clapham Common (Yui Mok/PA)

    Breaching professional standards?

    A Met Police spokeswoman said on Monday:

    Police officers and staff need to have access to computer records as part of their role. Officers and staff are only permitted to view specific records and data when there is a legitimate policing purpose for doing so. Accessing records without such a purpose can amount to a breach of professional standards or, in some cases, a criminal offence.

    Officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards are in the process of contacting those officers and staff who accessed records relating to the investigation into the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard to ensure that each access was for a legitimate policing purpose.

    Once all the responses have been received, a decision will be taken as to whether any further action is required.

    Additional information and images via PA News 

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Police officers charged for allegedly sharing ‘selfies’ of double killing scene

    Two police officers have been charged with misconduct over allegations that they shared photographs of the scene of a double murder. It’s previously been alleged that the officers took ‘selfies’ with the victims.

    “Inappropriate”

    PC Deniz Jaffer, 47, and PC Jamie Lewis, 32, of the Metropolitan Police have been charged after an investigation into pictures which were taken and circulated of sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46. The sisters were stabbed to death at Fryent Country Park in Wembley, North-West London, in the early hours of 6 June 2020.

    Social worker Henry, from Brent in North-West London, and photographer Smallman, from Harrow in North-West London, had met friends the previous evening to celebrate the elder sister’s birthday.

    The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog carried out a criminal investigation into allegations that the officers took “non-official and inappropriate photographs” of the crime scene before sharing them on WhatsApp. This has previously been reported by the BBC as an allegation that the officers:

    took selfies next to their bodies.

    The Crown Prosecution Service said on 28 April that both men will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in May charged with one count each of misconduct in public office.

    Danyal Hussein, 18, of Guy Barnett Grove, Blackheath, South-East London, is facing trial in June, accused of the sisters’ murders.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Police spy’s bosses knew activist was being duped into sexual relationship, court told

    Legal case against Metropolitan police claims managers allowed undercover officer to continue deception

    An environmental activist who was deceived into a long-term sexual relationship by an undercover police officer has told a court that several managers and his colleagues knew about the deception and allowed it to carry on.

    Kate Wilson, whose relationship with Mark Kennedy lasted for more than a year, opened her legal case against the Metropolitan police on Tuesday after spending more than a decade seeking to uncover the truth.

    Related: I was abused by an undercover officer. But how far up did the deceit go? | Kate Wilson

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Met police officer jailed for attacking a Black man who was visiting his partner’s grave

    Charlie Harrison, a Metropolitan police officer, has been jailed for breaking a Black man’s knee in a ‘clear case of racial profiling’. Harrison fractured Carl Abrahams’ knee while Abrahams was visiting his partner’s grave with his children. Southwark crown court found Harrison guilty of causing grievous bodily harm. He has been jailed for two years and three months.

    The incident

    On 31 December 2018, Abrahams – a 47-year-old Black man – was visiting his partner’s grave in east London “with his two teenage sons”. Harrison – part of the Metropolitan police’s violent crime taskforce – approached the family after getting out of an unmarked police car. The plainclothes officer failed to identify himself. Without warning, Harrison kicked Abrahams’ knee, fracturing it and knocking him to the ground.

    According to the Guardian, a passerby protested against the officer’s conduct. At this point, Harrison’s colleagues “rushed out their cars” and threatened to arrest the passerby.

    Abrahams reported the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in January 2019. He sought hospital treatment and was left on crutches for 12 weeks. He told the court that his children are still afraid of police and “fear they will be targeted because of the colour of their skin”. The Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) launched an investigation in 2019.

    A ‘clear case of racial profiling’

    On 12 April, the court sentenced Harison to two years and three months in prison. In an interview, Harrison claimed that he stopped Abrahams to look for “drugs and weapons”. But during his trial, he claimed to have found it suspicious that Abrahams and his sons “noticed” his car.

    Judge Gregory Perrins said:

    Having heard the evidence at trial, I strongly suspect that the reason that you stopped Mr Abrahams and his sons was because they were black.

    He added:

    Had Mr Abrahams and his sons been white I suspect that you would have simply drove on by; this was in my judgment a clear case of racial profiling.

    The judge found that Harrison had “no grounds” to carry out a stop and search, or to arrest Abrahams and his sons. During the trial, Harrison suggested that Abrahams’ sons were being “aggressive and confrontational”. But the judge stated that “the video footage shows the exact opposite”.

    Perrins concluded:

    Having heard the evidence at trial I see no basis upon which you could genuinely have thought it necessary to defend yourself from a man walking down the street with his two sons with his hands in his pockets.

    This was a deliberate assault.

    The officer is now facing a “fast-track discipline process”. The Met will “consider whether race played a part in Harrison’s actions”.

    Not a case of one ‘bad apple’

    Commander Paul Betts said:

    This matter was subject to a thorough investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and PC Harrison charged and later convicted by a jury.

    He added:

    His actions were found to have fallen well below the standard we expect of our police officers, with a man left badly injured. This type of behaviour has no place in our police service and undermines the confidence of the communities we are here to protect.

    However, this incident of racial profiling and assault is not just a case of one ‘bad apple’. It’s the product of institutional racism in the Metropolitan police. Harrison’s taskforce were told to search for Black males suspected of violent crimes. And although Harrison has been imprisoned for grievous bodily harm, he has not yet been dismissed from the Met police.

    More broadly, a UCL study found that “young Black males in London were 19 times more likely to be stopped and searched than the general population”. And according to the government’s ethnicity facts and figures:

    the Metropolitan Police made 80% of all searches of Black people in the year ending March 2020.

    22 years on from the MacPherson report, Black Londoners are still bearing the brunt of an institutionally racist police force.

    Featured image via James Eades/Unsplash.

    By Sophia Purdy-Moore

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Police in England ‘using Covid lockdown rules to halt any protests’

    Anger grows after vigil for Sarah Everard is stopped despite court ruling on right to demonstrate

    Police officers are using coronavirus regulations to break up socially distanced demonstrations even though the country’s largest police force has conceded in a landmark legal case that people have a right to protest during the current national lockdown.

    The Metropolitan police admitted in the high court on Friday that it had discretion on how to respond to protests and it could not impose a blanket ban on demonstrations, after the force was challenged by the organisers of the planned vigil to remember Sarah Everard in south London.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Is the Sarah Everard vigil ban part of creeping curbs on the right to protest?

    Mounting concern that ministers are using pandemic to curtail freedoms in the UK

    Organisers of a vigil for Sarah Everard are seeking a court order to assert their right to protest after the Metropolitan police reversed their position on allowing the event to go ahead. The possible challenge comes at a time of mounting concern about the police and the government using the pandemic to curtail the right to protest.

    Continue reading…

    This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.

  • Reclaim These Streets organisers seek legal challenge over ‘about-face by police’

    Organisers of a vigil in response to the disappearance of Sarah Everard are taking legal action after claiming police reversed a decision on allowing it to go ahead.

    Restricted

    They said there had been an “about-face” by the Metropolitan Police and they were told the Reclaim These Streets event planned for 13 March would not be permitted due to the coronavirus (Covid-19 ) lockdown.

    The group said in a statement on the evening of 11 March that they would seek an order in the High Court the following day, challenging the force’s interpretations of coronavirus restrictions when read against human rights law. Scotland Yard said it understands the “public’s strength of feeling” and that the Met remains in discussion with organisers “in light of the current Covid regulations”.

    The vigil, due to take place at Clapham Common bandstand in south London, was organised after 33-year-old Everard’s suspected kidnap and murder sparked anger over the safety of women on the UK’s streets.

    Sarah Everard
    Sarah Everard’s suspected kidnap and murder sparked anger over the safety of women on the UK’s streets (Family handout/PA)

    Organiser Anna Birley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that organisation for the vigil began on 10 March and the group had “proactively” contacted Lambeth Council and the Metropolitan Police. She said:

    Initially, we had feedback that they were looking at ways to navigate this, that they would be looking at how they could proportionately and appropriately provide community policing to the event.

    And we were in conversation about how we could do that safely so that people could express their anger and their grief without putting themselves or others at risk.

    We then had an about-face mid-afternoon yesterday. We were being put under increasing pressure that, individually, we would be at risk for doing so, but as would everybody who attended and all of the women across the country potentially who have been organising sister vigils in their own areas.

    Coronavirus

    Under the current coronavirus lockdown in England, people are largely required to stay at home and can only gather in larger groups for limited reasons, such as funerals or for education. Police can break up illegal gatherings and issue fines of £10,000 to someone holding a gathering of more than 30 people.

    Birley said that safety of the vigil had been a “priority from the get-go”, adding:

    It would be ironic to organise a vigil to think about women’s safety in public spaces without also thinking about the health and safety aspects.

    She said the location of Clapham Common was in part chosen because it is a “wide open space”, while organisers had emphasised wearing masks and the importance of social distancing.

    She added:

    We were trying to be very thoughtful. We had QR codes so that people could do track and trace, and just really trying to work out how we can do this in a really safe way.

    In the statement tweeted on 11 March, Reclaim These Streets said the group had “initially” received a positive response when it approached Lambeth Council and Scotland Yard while planning and promoting the event. The statement read:

    The Metropolitan Police said that they were ‘trying to navigate a way through’ and that they were ‘currently developing a local policing plan’ to allow the vigil to take place and to enable them to ‘develop an appropriate and proportionate local response’ to the event.

    Since this statement, the Metropolitan Police have reversed their position and stated that the vigil would be unlawful and that, as organisers, we could face tens of thousands of pounds in fines and criminal prosecution under the Serious Crimes Act.

    ‘Silenced’

    A Metropolitan Police statement said:

    We understand the public’s strength of feeling and are aware of the statement issued by Reclaim These Streets with regard to a planned vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common this weekend.

    We remain in discussion with the organisers about this event in light of the current Covid regulations.

    The group said by “forcing us to cancel” the vigil, the police would be “silencing thousands of women like us who want to honour Sarah’s memory and stand up for our right to feel safe on our streets”.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Met Police to be investigated over handling of indecent exposure allegation against suspect in Sarah Everard case

    Scotland Yard is facing an investigation by the police watchdog into its handling of an allegation of indecent exposure involving the suspect in the Sarah Everard case.

    Response

    The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is to probe whether officers “responded appropriately” after receiving a report that a man had exposed himself at a fast food restaurant in south London on 28 February – three days before the 33-year-old went missing.

    A serving police officer remains in custody after being detained on suspicion of Everard’s murder and kidnap, and a separate allegation of indecent exposure. Police have been granted more time to question him.

    The IOPC said in a statement:

    The Independent Office for Police Conduct has started an independent investigation into whether Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers responded appropriately to a report of indecent exposure.

    The IOPC’s investigation follows a conduct referral from the MPS in relation to two officers, received last night (Wednesday), which is linked to four other referrals.

    They are all connected to the arrest of a serving MPS officer on suspicion of kidnap, murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

    The IOPC is also assessing a referral relating to police actions after Everard was reported missing, as well as another in relation to the suspect being taken to hospital.

    The arrested officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was treated for a head injury sustained while in custody on 11 March. He was later discharged and returned to the police station where he is being held. The Met later said he had sustained the injury while alone in his cell and received immediate first aid.

    Sarah Everard missing
    Sarah Everard, 33, vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3 (Metropolitan Police/PA)

    “Shining example”

    Everard vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on 3 March, with her suspected kidnap and murder prompting anger over the safety of women on the UK’s streets. Human remains – which have not yet been identified – were found in an area of woodland in Ashford, in Kent, on 10 March.

    On 11 March, Everard’s family released a statement describing her as a “shining example to us all”, and said she had “brought so much joy to our lives”.

    They said:

    Our beautiful daughter Sarah was taken from us and we are appealing for any information that will help to solve this terrible crime. Sarah was bright and beautiful – a wonderful daughter and sister. She was kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable. She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour.

    She was strong and principled and a shining example to us all. We are very proud of her and she brought so much joy to our lives. We would like to thank our friends and family for all their support during this awful time and we would especially like to thank Sarah’s friends who are working tirelessly to help.

    Everard’s family also thanked the police and pleaded for people with further information to come forward. “No piece of information is too insignificant,” they said.

    A woman in her 30s, who was arrested on 9 March on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on bail to return to a police station on a date in mid-April, police said.

    Outpour

    The events since Everard’s disappearance have prompted an outpouring of shock and anger as women across the country shared their own experiences of feeling unsafe.

    A vigil was due to take place at Clapham Common bandstand in south London on 13 March – but organisers are now seeking legal action after claiming the Metropolitan Police reversed their position on allowing the event to go ahead.

    Police vehicles at search site
    A private ambulance (middle) among police vehicles at the search in an area of woodland in Ashford (Gareth Fuller/PA)

    The group said it needed to raise £30,000 by 9am on 12 March to cover any legal costs, and set up a crowdfunding site asking the public to make donations. It reached the target shortly before 10.30pm on 11 March, with donations continuing to pour in.

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted the capital’s streets are not safe for women or girls when speaking to LBC on 11 March.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Minister backs Tory mayoral candidate accused of politicising Sarah Everard case

    A government minister has backed the Conservative London mayoral candidate after he was accused of politicising the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

    “Fear”

    Business minister Paul Scully said Shaun Bailey can “absolutely” still run for office despite facing criticism for comments around the case of the missing 33-year-old. The mayoral candidate had said his wife and daughter “have to live in fear” in the capital but vowed to work to “deliver for the safety of women and girls” if he wins May’s contest.

    Liberal Democrat rival Luisa Porritt called the comments “utterly grotesque” following Everard’s disappearance, while Labour MP Catherine West said:

    This is really not the time for cheap, political point scoring.

    Asked if the Tory candidate had used the case as “political capital”, Scully told Sky News:

    Shaun Bailey has a plan for London in terms of giving the leadership on crime, on housing, on transport and air quality. The first thing people want to be is safe in their homes and Shaun has been doing a lot of work around (that).

    But we shouldn’t be distracted from the fact that there is a serious crime that’s gone on here.

    Domestic violence

    Scully, who is also minister for London, added the government was “absolutely” doing enough to keep women safe and was addressing domestic violence.

    Bailey’s comments were made following the arrest of a serving Metropolitan Police officer in connection with the case but before Scotland Yard said he was being held on suspicion of murder. Everard is thought to have walked through Clapham Common towards her house in Brixton – a journey which should have taken around 50 minutes.

    She was last recorded on a doorbell camera walking along the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill at around 9.30pm on 3 March.

    The Met said on 10 March that remains had been found in an area of woodland in Ashford, Kent, by detectives investigating her disappearance. An officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command had earlier been arrested on suspicion of Everard’s kidnap and murder.

    By The Canary

    This post was originally published on The Canary.

  • Jury takes under an hour to acquit Kurdish solidarity campaigner after watching damning police bodycam footage

    A protester arrested for assaulting a police officer was found not guilty last week. A jury at Southwark Crown Court reached their verdict after watching damning police bodycam footage.

    Simon Walker (not his real name) was arrested for assaulting a police officer at a Kurdistan solidarity protest at the Turkish Embassy in Belgravia in June 2019. Walker faced up to a year in prison for the offence.

    I was part of the protest, along with fellow Canary journalist Emily Apple. We both attended the three day long trial to support Walker, and to report for The Canary.

    Campaigners accused the police at the protest of using “disproportionate and aggressive” tactics to crack down on protesters.

    The protest was against the construction of the Ilisu Dam by the Turkish state in Northern Kurdistan. The Canary spoke to Ercan Ayboga, who is a longterm Kurdish organiser against the dam. Ayboga told The Canary that the dam, which is now complete, has directly affected the livelihoods of 100,000 people, 25,000 people have so far been displaced.

    The construction of the dam has tragically submerged the beautiful 12,000-year-old town of Hasankeyf.

    “I’ll do what I want”

    The jury in Walker’s trial heard from only one prosecution witness who had been present at the demonstration, PC Nicholas Swift. Swift said that he had arrested Walker after Walker had given him a shove while he was dealing with another protester.

    The court heard how Walker had sustained a head injury and bruising to his wrists and chest area during his arrest.

    However, when footage from Swift’s bodycam was shown to the court, it showed that the officer had waded into the protest in a heavy-handed manner, pushing Walker and several other protesters.

    At one point a protester who Swift had grabbed hold of says “Don’t hurt my arm”. Swift replied “I’ll do what I want”, and then continued, “I can use force”.

    It was at this point that Walker gave Swift a small push. In evidence, Walker said that he was concerned for the other protester and that the push was intended to separate them. Walker told the court:

    If you see someone in front of you and one of them is being violent – or at least you anticipate violence – the instinct is to separate them.

    The defence argued that Swift had “unlawfully manhandled” the other protester and that Walker had acted lawfully to defend him. The jury agreed, taking less than an hour to acquit Walker of the charges.

    Police officer admits acting unreasonably

    Under cross-examination by the defence, Swift admitted that he had felt “frustrated” at Walker and the other protesters’ failure to move.

    When confronted with the bodycam footage, Swift agreed that his actions had not been reasonable, and that if he had seen another officer acting in that way he would have “had words” with them.

    After Walker’s arrest, police violence against the protesters escalated, leading to Apple being hospitalised. According to Apple:

    Protesters blocked the road outside the embassy. One person was violently arrested. In the process, I was threatened with CS gas and thrown on the ground, sustaining ligament damage to my knee. I am still waiting for surgery on my knee. This was a disproportionate and aggressive response from police officers, who seemed intent on aggravating the situation.

    Dragged through a pointless trial during a pandemic

    After his arrest Walker was put on bail for almost two years, facing an imprisonable charge of ‘battery’ against Swift. Walker told us that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had repeatedly refused to drop the case, despite applications that it was not in the public interest to continue with the prosecution.

    Walker lives in Wales and was forced to travel to London to attend court in spite of the lockdown. Apple travelled from Cornwall as a witness. I counted 25 people in the court room at one point in the proceedings. The risk of spreading coronavirus was very real.

    You would be forgiven for thinking that Walker had been accused of something serious in order to be treated like this. However, the evidence in the case amounted to giving Swift “a little push”.

    Edward Hollingsworth, the prosecutor in the case, admitted the alleged ‘assault’ was:

    fairly small fry, it’s not serious violence but we would say it’s unlawful.

    One might ask, why was a case like this ever brought to court in the midst of a pandemic?

    Disrupting international solidarity

    The reason the CPS refused to drop this ridiculous prosecution may well be because the protest was in solidarity with the Kurdish freedom movement. A movement that has been increasingly criminalised since several Kurdish organisations were proscribed under the Terrorism Act in 2000.

    The move to criminalise the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and other Kurdish organisations is in line with the UK’s close ties with Turkey. Turkey is seen as a key trading partner and NATO ally. And yet European courts have insisted on numerous occasions that the PKK is simply a party to an ongoing conflict, not a terrorist organisation.

    Several British citizens who have fought against Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) in Syria as part of the Peoples’ Protection Units, or YPG, have been unsuccessfully prosecuted in recent years. The state tried but failed to argue that those fighting for these largely Kurdish forces are guilty of terrorism.

    Kevin Blowe, campaigns coordinator of the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) agrees that protesters are often prosecuted because of the cause they support. He made the following statement:

    All too often we have seen wholly disproportionate charges used as a deliberate attempt to disrupt protests involving international solidarity. This isn’t the first time that campaigners appear to have been treated more harshly because of the cause they support. It is intended to wear people down, alienate potential public sympathies and restrict campaigners’ ability to exercise their rights to freedom of assembly and association.

    “Aggressive and unacceptable” response to protest

    The Boycott Turkey campaign made a statement in solidarity with Walker saying:

    The violent arrest of Simon as part of attempts to break up a protest against the Ilisu dam and the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to force Simon to attend trial during a global pandemic represent an aggressive and unacceptable response to the protest. The Boycott Turkey campaign stands in solidarity with Simon and everyone struggling against state violence. The use of aggressive policing against protesters is completely disproportionate and we condemn such state violence unreservedly.The Boycott Turkey campaign stands in solidarity with everyone facing state violence and police brutality.

    The campaign statement went on to point out the irony of the British state prosecuting Walker over a little push, while at the same time propping up the violence of Turkish president Erdoğan’s regime through its close ties:

    Whilst the British state talks of justice, it continues to prop up the unjust regime in Turkey by suppressing attempts to build solidarity with those struggling against the regime’s brutality. The Ilisu dam project has displaced tens of thousands of people, caused untold ecological destruction, destroyed a world heritage site and threatens to restrict access to water for millions of people down-river from the dam.”

    “Repression of protest”

    The UK Kurdish People’s Assembly gave the following statement upon hearing the verdict:

    The fact that this case was ever taken to trial speaks volumes about how those who stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people are mistreated and persecuted by the British state. This is a repeating pattern in the treatment of political protestors in the UK, and a worrying sign of continuing repression of protest and solidarity that specifically targets the Kurdish cause.

    The defendant is an anti-imperialist, an environmental activist and friend of the Kurdish freedom movement, and we are relieved to see a just verdict in his case. We extend our enduring solidarity to people fighting criminalisation and unjust prosecution across the world.

    A ‘circus’

    Outside court, Walker said that the 18-month prosecution had been “extremely stressful”. He continued:

    It’s absolutely outrageous that they would drag not only myself and the defence witness halfway across the country during a pandemic, but also 12 jurors … to oversee a trial this minor.

    The whole case has been a circus intended to intimidate protesters and those who defend themselves against police acting violently.

    Walker’s case shows that the state’s political prosecutions of protesters are continuing, despite the ongoing lockdown. We need to make it clear that if the CPS persist in bringing our comrades to court during this health crisis, then we will be with them in solidarity.

    Featured image by Emily Apple

    Tom Anderson is part of the Shoal Collective, a cooperative producing writing for social justice and a world beyond capitalism. 

    By Tom Anderson

    This post was originally published on The Canary.