Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy
members and activities
who secretly feed them intelligence in return for cash, according to evidence
handed to the Guardian.
are receiving information about leaders, tactics and plans of future demonstrations.
discussions between covert officers claiming to be from Strathclyde police, and
an activist from the protest group Plane Stupid, whom the officers attempted to
recruit as a paid spy after she had been released on bail following a demonstration
at Aberdeen airport last month.
police seek to disrupt the legitimate activities of climate change activists.
She met the officers twice; they said they were a detective constable and his
assistant. During the taped discussions, the officers:
student loans in return for information about individuals within Plane Stupid.
leave an audit trail that would leave her compromised. They said the money would
be tax-free, and added: “UK plc can afford more than 20 quid.”
mean she will struggle to find employment in the future and result in a criminal
record.
organisations and “big groupings” from across the political spectrum.
their soul to the devil,” an officer said.
a custodial sentence.
cafe on Tuesday. Gifford used a mobile phone and device sewn into her waistcoat
to record what they described as a “business proposal” that she should think of
as a job.
large sums of money in cash.
establish the identities of the detective constable, they were initially told
by the human resources department there was no record of his name.
meetings with Plane Stupid activists.
force had “a responsibility to gather intelligence”, and such operations were
conducted according to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). The
force would not comment on the identity of the officers.
who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests including Aberdeen airport,”
he said. “The purpose of this contact has been to ensure that any future protest
activity is carried out within the law and in a manner which respects the rights
of all concerned.”
about these events. There appears to be a covert operation that is running in
some way with, or using, Strathclyde police’s name. There appears to be a concerted
effort to turn protesters to informants and possibly infiltrate peaceful protest
movements.
lack of any clearly identifiable body responsible for this. These individuals
seem to have some kind of police support or at the very least connections with
the police – the access to police stations confirms that – but my concern is the
lack of accountability and the threat to the individual and her right to protest.”
lawyer with her. But the officers did not appear at the rendezvous. However, she
said she was later approached by the detective constable, who said he was disappointed
in her. The man got into a car, leaving Gifford feeling shaken and intimidated.
that fell out of the sky”. She added: “Recording them seemed like the obvious
thing to do. I was keen to find out what they had to offer, what they wanted to
find out, and feed that back to the group in case other members of Plane Stupid
were approached.”
right to peaceful protest called into question simply to defend the interests
of big business.”
Cop watch: cops caught trying to bribe a Plane Stupid activist
includes video clips.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8017896.stm
claimed that officers tried to recruit her as a paid spy to inform on her organisation.
by officers claiming to be from Strathclyde Police a few weeks after she was arrested
in a protest at Aberdeen Airport in March.
clarify the role of police and ensure their actions were appropriate.
public in a series of recordings handed to the Guardian newspaper.
people have been offered money or intimidated like me,” she said. “We’re not to
be intimidated, we must continue to do what we do with a clean conscience. After
being scared by these people, I wanted to go public so that I can feel safe.”
protest organisations, which they tried to persuade her to join.
they offered her financial rewards for information on Plane Stupid.
“a responsibility to gather intelligence”.
of protesters who were involved with the Plane Stupid protests, including Aberdeen
Airport. The purpose of this contact has been to ensure that any future protest
activity is carried out within the law and in a manner which respects the rights
of all concerned.”
commander of Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad, who told the BBC: “The police don’t
just sit in their ivory tower and expect the phone to ring and be given intelligence
information. They go out actively to gather it.”