Following his letter to the Home Secretary about police violence at the recent protest
against George Bush,
George Galloway has today written a further letter naming the undercover
police officer who is now known to have deliberately provoked violence
at the demonstration.
25 June 2008
Rt Hon Jacqui Smith
Home Secretary
Urgent
Dear Home Secretary,
As you may be aware I wrote to Sir Ian Blair and Mayor Johnson calling
for an inquiry into the policing of the demonstration against George W
Bush on Sunday 15 June in Parliament Square/Whitehall. I enclose a copy
of my letter to him. I should say I have since been visited by
Superintendent Tim Jackson and have given him an account of the basis of
my original complaint.
I did tell him, however, that subsequent newspaper revelations may
indicate a far more sinister involvement of the police in actual
law-breaking on the demonstration which sought to provoke exactly the
ugly scenes which eventually ensued.
Since my meeting with the superintendent yesterday this issue has become
clearer and obliges me both as a Member of Parliament and as a close
witness to these events to write to you as Home Secretary demanding a
full inquiry by the government into the extraordinary events and policy
decisions surrounding the policing of this demonstration.
You will be aware by now of an article in the Mail on Sunday of 22 June
by Yasmin Whittaker-Khan in which she recounts her shock at meeting a
man, whom she knew to be a policeman from a previous encounter, who
seemed determined to bring about a confrontation between the
demonstrators and the police.
This man for at least 30 minutes was stood right next to me at the front
of the protest and it is inconceivable that no police photograph will
confirm this. I say this because several police stills cameramen and at
least one video cameraman were constantly filming.
I can now confirm that this man was Chris Dreyfus, an inspector in the
police.
This man, to my direct knowledge, committed four criminal offences
during the 30 minutes or so he stood next to me. First, he repeatedly
chanted the arcane, antiquated Americana, "Kill the pigs!"
This is a clear incitement to violence, indeed murder. If a Muslim
demonstrator had been chanting it, say, outside the Danish Embassy, he
would likely now be in prison. Secondly, he repeatedly (crushing me in
the process) attempted to charge the crush barriers and the police line
behind them.
Thirdly, he repeatedly exhorted others so to do. Fourthly, he instructed
a young demonstrator on the correct way to uncouple a crush barrier,
which was successfully achieved and was subsequently thrown at the
police, and was presumably one of the justifications for the deployment
of a riot squad which eventually waded in to the protesters.
Home Secretary, there can hardly a more grave indictment of the conduct
of the police force in a democratic country than this. People in the
labour movement have often mythologised the state’s use of agents
provocateurs throughout my 40 years experience and no doubt long before.
But, to my recollection, we have never caught one red-handed before.
This inspector’s criminal actions must place all the other in themselves
legitimate complaints about police tactics in a new light. I wrote to
Sir Ian – and to Mayor Johnson – questioning the competence of the
policing on that day. It now seems that what happened was a deliberate
conspiracy to bring about scenes of violent disorder, seen around the
world and for purposes on which we can only speculate.
You, however, have clear responsibility to get to the heart of this
matter. I do hope you will begin to do so without delay.
Yours sincerely,
George Galloway MP
