[politicsdaily.com] Britain
has long been famous for its surveillance state. There are security
cameras everywhere you go. The country has the largest DNA database in the world. And a national identity card program is well underway.
But new revelations that British police have been spying on domestic
protesters have infuriated citizens all along the political spectrum.
The spying came to light in a series of stories in The Guardian over
the past month. In late October, the newspaper revealed that
photographs of and personal details about thousands of activists who
attend demonstrations, rallies and political meetings were being stored
in secret national databases.
In an eerily "1984"-esque twist, the protesters were labeled "domestic extremists"
by the private organization — the Association of Chief Police Officers
(AcPO) — that carried out the surveillance and which receives 9
million pounds annually in public funding.
Equally chilling were the so-called "spotter cards" (like this one)
used by police to identify individuals who might "instigate offenses or
disorder" at demonstrations. Does that look like something out of "The Stasi Files" or what?
Earlier this week, it also came to light that undercover police were
secretly deployed at the G20 meetings in early April. Some 25
undercover City of London police were stationed around the Bank of
England to gather intelligence on protesters.
And there’s more. Last month, the Guardian also broke a story on the government-sponsored-program Prevent.
This 140-million-pound scheme was ostensibly designed to dissuade
Muslim youth from engaging in violent extremism. But it was
simultaneously gathering information on the political views and sexual
practices of innocent Muslims not even suspected of terrorist activity.
Indeed, what has people up in arms is that organizations like AcPO are
no longer just targeting groups operating outside the democratic
process. They are monitoring peaceful, non-violent protesters who
engage in civil disobedience. As one Guardian columnist wrote,
"by blurring the lines between the civil and criminal law and publicly
branding those who take part in demonstrations and direct action, the
police and the Home Office are in effect criminalizing political
dissent."
Surveillance can also lead to harassment. Protester A
in the above "spotter card" describes how she was followed home from
one meeting by a van full of riot police and photographed repeatedly
while breastfeeding her young son.
The intensified atmosphere
of surveillance is also having political ramifications. Not long ago, I
received an e-mail from a friend who’s voted for the Labour party his
entire life. Largely because of the encroachment on civil liberties, he
plans to vote for the Liberal Democrats in the next election. When I
asked him, "Which infringements offend you in particular?," he replied
with an e-mail about 8,000 characters in length.
The Conservative party has picked up on this growing sentiment. The Tories have vowed to reverse the rise of the surveillance state with an 11-point plan calling for fewer databases and stronger powers to protect privacy.
Even the government seems to be moving in that direction. Just
yesterday, Her Majesty’s chief inspector of the constabulary gave a blistering assessment
of police activity during the G20 protests (where one person died from
police brutality). He argued for a wholesale reform of the British
police that would be "anchored in public consent." While the recommendations
were aimed primarily at reducing aggressive police behavior, there was
also a call to "shake up" AcPO and allow for more oversight and
transparency. Gordon Brown has promised to follow suit.
As an American living in London who grew up watching "The Avengers"
and reading George Orwell, I will own up to a certain creepy
fascination with this whole thing. But it’s also giving me pause. The
next time I’m invited to attend a march to defend the neighborhood post
office or sign a petition to keep the local butcher in business, I may
just think twice.
Source: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/26/police-spying-on-protesters-stirs-outrage-in-britain/
