Fiasco at Blacklist trial
Another attempt to criminalise the right to protest was thwarted today - by Tory cuts to the crown prosecution service. Due to staff shortages, not enough time was allocated to the trial of Blacklist…
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Added on 23/07/2015
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YouTube. Try going to their website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ701. Lord Justice Pitchford will be making a statement about the public inquiry into undercover policing 10am Tuesday 28th July in the Royal Courts of Justice. This will be his initial thoughts on how the public inquiry will run. Interested parties are allowed to attend. There will be media coverage and it might be useful if some blacklisted workers were able to attend wearing 'Blacklisted' t-shirts. The Terms of Reference published by Teresa May make no explicit mention of spying on trade unions or blacklisting. We will need to argue that these issues are included over the coming weeks and months see link from Morning Star & Guardian articles:
YouTube. Try going to their website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ701. Lord Justice Pitchford will be making a statement about the public inquiry into undercover policing 10am Tuesday 28th July in the Royal Courts of Justice. This will be his initial thoughts on how the public inquiry will run. Interested parties are allowed to attend. There will be media coverage and it might be useful if some blacklisted workers were able to attend wearing 'Blacklisted' t-shirts. The Terms of Reference published by Teresa May make no explicit mention of spying on trade unions or blacklisting. We will need to argue that these issues are included over the coming weeks and months see link from Morning Star & Guardian articles:
2. Fiasco at blacklist trial:
Dave Smith's trial following his arrest for protesting against blacklisting has been postponed until 25-26 Jan 2016. This was because the CPS had not done any of the tasks expected of them and the case was only allocated half a day, which was clearly not enough time to hear 10 witnesses. This will mean Dave will have been on police bail for nearly 12 months by the time of the trial which is now primarily about the democratic right to protest. District Judge Coleman instructed the police to provide 'primary disclosure' of evidence including intelligence the Met received about protesters and Blacklist Support Group. Many thanks to all those who came down to support or sent messages of solidarity - it is genuinely appreciated. Special thanks to the exceptional and principled legal team JC Townsend & Liam Dunne from Guney, Clark & Ryan solicitors, who have been fighting our corner for over 6 years now.
Video from the exceptional Reel News (with comments about the human rights issues from the lawyers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-yJoVEKK7c
New Internationalist: http://newint.org/blog/2015/07/23/blacklisted-author-on-trial/
3. BSG meeting Merseyside NHS Trust:
Blacklist Support Group delegation led by Roy Bentham have held a number of meetings recently with the Merseyside NHS Trust over the contracts handed to blacklisting firm Carillion at the Liverpool Royal in an attempt to win employment for blacklisted workers on the project. if the blacklisting mobs want to prove they are not still targeting union members - then give us jobs!
There are many public authorities that have passed resolutions stating that they will not use firms involved in blacklisting. Its about time some of the fine words were put into action and the firms either thrown off at the time of contract renewal or monitoring is carried out to check that blacklisted workers are getting employment opportunities.
Great work by the BSG Liverpool chapter.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-f734-Justice-at-last-for-spied-on-workers,-or-another-cover-up
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-f734-Justice-at-last-for-spied-on-workers,-or-another-cover-up
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2015/jul/17/judge-leading-public-inquiry-into-undercover-police-to-speak-for-the-first-time
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