Blacklist Round-up

1. Spycops

http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-e72d-Warping-justice-by-neither-confirming-nor-denying#.WERmBDKcY0R

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RidYxAe3fRY 

CONFIRMED: ''Carlo Neri' who spied on picket lines was an undercover police officer.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2016/nov/21/public-inquiry-confirms-the-identities-of-more-police-spies

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-a864-Carlo-Neri-officially-confirmed-as-an-undercover-cop#.WDyoizKcY0Q

http://campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com/2016/11/18/official-marco-jacobs-carlo-neri-were-spycops/

http://www.union-news.co.uk/trade-union-spy-was-one-of-us-admit-cops/

2. Crossrail hit by action over pay and bosses victimization of UNITE steward

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HOs3yWSTp_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8jK4zkMReI&feature=share

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-d795-Crossrail-Occupied#.WERrXzKcY0R

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-9928-Bosses-Fright-at-Crossrail-Strike#.WERmcTKcY0S

http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-6bbf-Activists-accuse-Crossrail-bosses-of-shipping-in-scabs#.WERlATKcY0S

https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/43759/Crossrail+workers+occupy+bosses+office+in+protest+over+missing+bonus

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2016/11/30/electricians-down-tools-on-crossrail-site/

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-0085-Crossrail-revokes-threats-to-punish-protesting-workers#.WERl3TKcY0S

Defend Terry Wilson - victimized UNITE steward

6:30am Monday 5th December

Tottenham Court Rd Crossrail site

3. Laing O'Rourke

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-c619-Blacklisting-firms-still-given-public-sector-contracts#.WDypGjKcY0Qhttps://www.ucatt.org.uk/ucatt-welcomes-early-day-motion-commons-listing-abuses-crossrail-and-denying-union-access

http://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/16119/laing-orourke-accused-of-backdoor-blacklisting-as-union-conflict-escalates/

Early Day Motion

Motion S5M-02472: Colin Smyth, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 11/11/2016
Denial of Union Access by Laing O'Rourke 
That the Parliament notes the recent demonstration by the construction workers’ union, UCATT, at the site of the new £212 million Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary in response to the reports that the principal contractor, Laing O’Rourke, has refused the union access; believes that this company has previously prevented union access from other publicly-funded infrastructure projects; understands that it was a member of the Consulting Association, which was reportedly involved in the blacklisting of construction workers; believes that the Scottish Government expects companies that are awarded public contracts to maintain high standards of business and professional conduct; considers that this type of activity by a contractor toward trade unions undermines the remedial steps called for in the government's procurement note on blacklisting, does not support the aspirations of the Fair Work Convention to promote a fair and balanced economy and undermines workers’ rights and increases exploitation, and supports the freedom of trade unions to organise and represent workers across the economy.

4. US blacklist of leftwing academics

 http://www.businessinsider.com/college-professor-watchlist-expose-professors-who-advance-leftist-propaganda-2016-11?IR=T

5. Thank you to Salford TUC, SNP Trade Union Group, PCS Independent Left, Unite Liverpool construction branch for invites in the past few weeks.  Thank you John Bryan and Steve Acheson for representing.

Steve Acheson speaking at Salford TUC:

"I was blacklisted after a safety dispute at Pfizers in Kent. I was repeatedly sacked from jobs time and again. I appeared in the Royal Courts of Justice over terrorism. The High Court was not a full victory that blacklisted workers deserved. I will be relentless until we get justice".

6. Shrewsbury Pickets

Shrewsbury Pickets have engaged Mike Mansfield QC who has submitted papers to the Court of Appeal against the continued refusal to release the official government papers for the Shrewsbury trial.

7. Ongoing:

Durham TAs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdhpN1itKX8&feature=youtu.be

Construction Rank & File - national meeting

Sat 10th December - Newcastle 

London Hazards AGM

Tues 13th December

https://philipjameslewis.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/invitation-to-attend-london-hazards-centre-trustees-agm-and-to-affiliate-or-subscribe/

Pitchford uncovers undercover police!

THE Pitchford public inquiry into undercover policing has today issued a very short press release that admits that 'Carlo Neri' was an undercover officer. The 'Update on anonymity applications' reads:  The Inquiry has received confirmation that no restriction is sought over the undercover identity used by the police officer core participant known as N104, which was 'Carlo Neri'. 

The Blacklist Support Group, has been granted core participant status in the Pitchford inquiry issued the following statement: 

'Carlo Neri spied on blacklisted trade union members and anti-racist campaigners, while at the same time having long term sexual relationships with female activists he was keeping under surveillance. There are serious concerns about his conduct while undercover including allegations that he acted as an agent provocateur, inciting anti-fascist activists to commit an arson attack on a charity shop which was run by the Italian fascist Roberto Fiore.  

Neri was only exposed after collective efforts of activists ourselves working along side investigative journalists and researchers. Both Newsnight and The Guardian ran the original story. Photographic evidence from 2005 of Neri spying on an RMT picketline in Kings Cross were published in the "Blacklisted" book published last month.  

'The public statement by the Pitchford inquiry is a vindication of our campaign for justice but this admission has been dragged out of the police who have repeatedly adopted the line that they can 'neither confirm nor deny' (NCND) whether individuals named by activists in the media were police officers. The same NCND tactic used to obstruct the truth is also being applied to the hundreds of campaign groups targeted by the Special Demonstration Squad. While now being forced into admitting that 'Carlo Neri' was a police officer, the Met Police is still refusing to provide relevant police files to those that he targeted.   

'Now is the time for the Met Police to come clean and release the cover names of all the spycops and a list of the campaigns that were infiltrated by these undemocratic political policing units. The continued obstruction by the Met Police endangers the very integrity of the public inquiry. The police are supposed to be accountable to society: Its now reaching the point where parliament needs to step in and get a grip of these anti-democratic forces.'

'Andrea' (not her real name) is part of the Police Spies out of Lives campaign and is currently suing the Metropolitan Police for the emotional abuse caused by the activities of Carlo Neri.  During his deployment, the married undercover officer lived with and proposed marriage to the female activist he was targeting.  'Andrea' reacted to the Pitchford announcement:

'I am of course relieved to have finally received official confirmation that the person I believed to be my partner of more than two years - Carlo Neri - was in reality an undercover police officer. The fact that it has taken the police so long to acknowledge this has undoubtedly caused additional stress and uncertainty within an already difficult situation for myself and my family. MPS initially refused to comment on my complaint, stating that the UCPI would deal with my allegations, but have subsequently stated that they will not contest liability. My case is now in process. MPS do however continue with their inexplicable 'neither confirm nor deny' policy. This is quite simply a strategy to obfuscate, deny access to the truth and it has to stop. As survivors of their abuse, we demand that ALL spycops cover names are released.'

Kate Ellis, from Imran Khan and Partners, the solicitors representing the blacklisted trade union members and anti-racist campaigners targeted by Carlo Neri issued the following statement:

'We welcome the Inquiry’s confirmation of an undercover police officer’s cover name. This shows to our clients in fact how essential it was for there to be a Public Inquiry. To date, the Metropolitan Police’s ‘Operation Herne’ investigation has continued to maintain the absurd position of ‘neither confirming nor denying’ that Carlo Neri was an undercover police officer – despite the fact that everyone else knows and accepts that he was.   

'The Inquiry’s transparency in confirming undercover officers’ identities should not only be welcomed; it should be the default position. The stark difference in approach between the Metropolitan Police and the Inquiry shows that there is an even greater need for the police to open up their files for scrutiny.' 

Notes:

Photographic evidence of Carlo Neri on the RMT picket line is available exclusively from freelance photographer Andrew Wiard (NUJ) andrew@reportphotos.com

Pitchford statement in full: https://www.ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/161117-press-notice-N104.pdf

Blacklist Support Group

book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

Did Carlo Neri Spy on Trade Unionists?

CARLO NERI

Blacklist Group Claim to have caught undercover copper on camera!

'UNDERCOVER police officer Carlo Neri', according to the Blacklist Support Group, was caught on camera and 'spied on the RMT union'.  Photographic evidence, the Blacklist Group claim, shows that in October 2004 an officer was present at the industrial dispute following the sacking of the prominent union militant Steve Hedley (now elected as Senior Assistant General Secretary of the RMT union) during construction of the Kings Cross terminal for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.  

If this report is true, and it was indeed Carlo Neri captured on camera by the freelance photographer Andrew Wiard at the RMT picket and just assuming he was not supporting the industrial protest, but was indeed employed as a police spy (allegedly from the Met's disgraced Special Demonstration Squad), then it is yet further evidence of penetration by the police and security services into the trade union affairs of English activists.

The photographs sent to Northern Voices by the Blacklist Support Group show the alleged 'police spy' lurking behind an RMT banner with the slogan ‘Reinstate Steve Hedley’ while handing out leaflets to construction workers who had walked out in support of the victimised union activist.  Also present at the picket line were RMT activists Alex Gordon and Sarah Friday plus GMB construction organisers Kelly Rogers and Steve Kelly (who was subsequently banned from the project controlled by the blacklist companies Costain, O'Rourke and Emcor).   

Photographs only available for use in the media upon direct email request to Andrew Wiard andrew@reportphotos.com     

http://reportphotos.com/albums/qO1oC/undercover-police-officer-carlo-neri-at-union-meeting-1/5b8e82c0c8a22d8fd64cfb398a9b31347bbc57de

Steve Hedley commented:    'I am appalled that a secret police spy thought that it was justified to turn up on a peaceful RMT picket line in order to gather information. I had earlier housed this person rent free as he claimed he was being made homeless and feel shocked that taxpayers money could be used like this to betray the trust of people engaged in completely legitimate industrial action.  We heard a lot growing up about police states in other countries whilst it turns out  our state was doing exactly the same thing here.' 
The photographs were rediscovered by Dave Smith while researching for the updated version of the book Blacklisted and were first made public at the GMB conference in Bournemouth on Sunday evening (5th June). Smith commented afterwards:  'We were standing up for workers rights but apparently the British state considered us such a threat, that we were kept under constant surveillance by shady anti-democratic units in the police. This is nothing less than political policing and has no place in a democracy.  This took place during the Tony Blair government and I want to know why trade unions were were being spied on under a Labour Home Secretary. David Blunkett has serious questions to answer.' 
The Channel Tunnel Rail Link dispute is recorded on Consulting Association blacklist files of Steve Hedley and GMB organiser at the time, Steve Kelly. 
Both Steve Hedley and Dave Smith have been granted core participant status in the Pitchford public inquiry into undercover policing.

Information from Blacklist Support Group

******
LAST November, Northern Voices was one of several publications to receive a solicitor letter from a firm of solicitors that  has been known to do work for the Police Federation.  The allegation was that NV had defamed a former police officer who had more recently done work as a university lecturer.  It seems that the officer in 2008 had given a power-point presentation on policing at pub down South to a group of individuals, who it later turn out were affiliated to the Consulting Association.  Ian Kerr was among those present taking notes:  Mr. Kerr, who has since died, is famous as the administrator of a blacklist for the Consulting Association, and he later pleaded guilt to running an illegal data base.  Kerr was exposed as such by the Information Commissioner in 2009.  We therefore caution our readers because the officer who gave this power point presentation to the Consulting Association has since claimed that he didn't know that he was addressing the Consulting Association, and that he'd never heard of either Ian Kerr or the body now known to be the Consulting Association.  He was just filling in for a colleague we are told, and is innocent of any complicity with the Consulting Association, Ian Kerr or blacklisting in the British build trade.  We only mention this now, in case it later turns out that Carlo Neri, if that is what he is called, was just out for a stroll and accidentally got caught up in the trade union protest of the RMT.