IT COULDN’T HAPPEN HERE, COULD IT? December 1999.
Updated June 2002. Again 2009.
As you watched the television pictures showing the State visit of China’s President Jiang Zemin, did you recoil in horror as you watched our British police manhandle would be protesters? To see out police seize Tibetan flags from the protesters and in some cases, tear them up, I thought, suppression on a scale we never thought we would witness in this Country of ours.
Update: (added June 2002): The headline screamed out a few days later in the Daily Mail by John Deans, Chief Political Correspondent, “Straw owns up over policing for Jiang visit”. “Jack Straw finally admitted yesterday that the Government officially intervened in the policing of last week’s state visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The Home Secretary revealed that senior Whitehall officials held discussions with police chiefs both in advance and during the visit. Only 48 hours earlier his deputy Paul Boating insisted it was ‘inconceivable’ that Ministers would have given any operational directions to Scotland Yard. During Jiang’s visits to both London and Cambridge peaceful human rights protesters were wrestled to the ground. Vans were positioned to shield the leader from chanting crowds”
A dissident who served eighteen years in China’s prison camps was also among those manhandled. Not so long ago we watched as the events in Tianamin Square unfolded before our eyes, yet after that massacre of students in 1989, and the television cameras ceased to roll, other cameras kept on working. They were the surveillance systems, which were sold as advanced traffic control systems by Siemans Plessy. There then followed a witch-hunt to root out the alleged subversives-young students mostly, who wanted a fuller, freer life-some thing we had and now seem to be in danger of losing.
The photographs collected were shown on TV offering a reward for information, with the result that many were identified. Many were tortured and interrogated in an effort to identify all. Another camera, the Scoot surveillance system with USA made Pelco cameras were used to record the protests. (I have to say allegedly, for I did not actually see this, I only read of this in a report)
During the Amsterdam Summit in 1997, many people were “preventatively arrested” by Dutch Police, and although it was later declared they had been “illegally” arrested, the authorities had achieved their objective.
As President Jiang Zemin moved on to France, we once again saw the same police activity as we had witnessed here in England. The prize of £2 billion in business deals having been “won” by France and the UK. It was all seemingly “in Britain’s interest”. I have no doubt that an enquiry will be set up to look into the policing methods used-if I am right, it will only be done to smooth things over, in other words, a white wash. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that our police had been given specific instructions on this State visit. (See above update) A further thought before I move on-perhaps I am missing some thing here? For what reason is General Pinochet being detained here in the UK? Surely it was not Human Rights? Ah, but then he is no longer of use to us, is he?
All this activity prompts the question, will the European Union be tempted to interpret any act of protest as anti-EU or xenophobic and bring out a new law to stamp it out? (Update June 2002. included in the 32 ‘offences’ in the proposed European Union wide Arrest Warrant, which I am fighting very hard AGAINST and against the destruction of our Habeas Corpus, is the ‘offence’ of xenophobia! (The EU arrest warrant was proposed in the early 1990’s long before 11th Sept 2001.) (2009 Now we have trials in absentia!)
All the people who write letters to the press, particularly the local press could and may be classed as xenophobic, even though up till now we in this country have always thought we had a “right” to free speech. Wrong – there is no such thing. Our Prime Minister is aware that the ‘wrong message‘ is getting through in the local papers and, not so long ago, Editors of these local papers were invited to Downing Street, given “the treatment” and also what they thought were ‘exclusive’ messages from the PM, to put into print to get them on his side so to speak, but the message was the same to all, only the Town’s names had been altered. Editors were not happy!
The European Union has been looking at “An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control” which is an eighty page ‘working document’ drawn up by Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA). The document is so that the EU can look to any risk of threat to civil liberties in Europe. (Allegedly). In particular the EU is interested in three areas: Developments in surveillance technology; innovations in crowd control weapons (oops), new prison control systems.
The former makes rather strange reading for an organisation, which praises itself on freedom, security and justice, for it gives views on how to deal with civil disobedience, disturbances, manoeuvring propaganda activities. Use of propaganda and psychological means to discredit the government (I don’t know whether they mean their government or ours”) Update June 2002, The European Parliament has voted in support of a Commission and Council proposal that will give law enforcement agencies the right to monitor telephone, internet and e-mail traffic. Under the new EU directive, the police and other state agencies will be able to oblige internet service providers and telephone companies to keep data on all citizens in EU member countries, who they are communicating with and what they are downloading from the internet. State agencies will not need to suspect that individuals have committed crimes in order to access data relating to them. Strangely, the TV broke the above news without even mentioning the European Union; it is all allegedly, our government’s idea!!
When this proposed legislation goes through our Parliament, I would like the question to be asked whether our letters, or mail of any kind is to be opened and scrutinised? If the answer is NO, then I ask why do they want to know what is in our e-mails, fax and any other electronic communication, etc?
If the answer is YES, as in wartime, I would ask, if we are at war, albeit with terrorism, why are we, as a country transferring more sovereignty away from this Country (as in the one European Sky) this would have been a hanging offence during the last war. If we are not at war, why is there a need to destroy our Common Laws and remove our basic fundamental rights, and also put up with and accept these terrible sinister draconian intrusions into out private lives? How much nearer have we to go, before we realise we are not going forward, but backward into George Orwell’s 1984?
“Secret European Union plans (not so secret now) to require “Interception interfaces” to be built into the Internet for surveillance purposes have drawn devastating criticism from British ISPs and from LINX, the major Internet providers, the EU policing plans are technically infeasible, would impose massive costs, and would undermine the development of European communications and e-commerce-and they would not work”. So says an article by Duncan Campbell 31-12-98 headed “ENFOPOL plans Provoke Strong Opposition”. Update June 2002. Now perhaps we can begin to understand why Commissioner Prodi wanted to “link up every private home, company, school and administrative office on-line in such a way that all the people of Europe, without exception, are able to use the new instruments created by the onward march of information technology” (Speech 25th Feb 2000) and why provisions were made by our own government, for all to have access to free learning of this computer technology. Further Question March 2009. Have you asked yourself the question WHY is analogue television being switched off eventually, and we are only allowed digital TV? Why are we not allowed to keep analogue because the two work perfectly OK together at the moment?
Europol, (our new police force) seeks a broad structure for tapping mobile communications. It seems that the demands of the “legally empowered authorities” as they are called in the ENFOPOL papers, beginning with the “Proclamation for the State of Preparedness” are to be made accessible as well as all related technical services and data: the redirecting of telephone calls, voice mail and other forms of telecommunications. Taken from “The European Surveillance Union” by Erich Meachel 20-1-98. (Update; Please remember this application from Europol-not really in existence [allegedly at this point] was made, and this article was written in 1999, long before 11th September 2001)
ECHELON is an interception station here in England and although it is illegal for Britain to spy on its citizens as it is likewise in the USA, how about doing a swap of information? ECHELON project 415 is a new global surveillance system. It can tap into a billion calls a year in the UK alone-and they don’t give a damn about personal privacy or commercial confidence (allegedly)
Many cities in England, (and here in Wolverhampton City) have CCTV traffic control systems, each camera generally picking up where another camera leaves off, if you have ever seen these cameras in action, as I have, you would be amazed at what is on show-the occupants of cars way up the street are clearly seen, it has been said that if a person inside is reading a letter or a newspaper, the operator is also able to read the contents too. The pictures from these cameras are unbelievably clear. (2009 I think most of us saw at the new President of America’s swearing in ceremony, just how the cameras could and did Zoom right in to see clearly the features of any person they wanted to.)
Attitudes to CCTV surveillance networks vary greatly in the EU. Such cameras are banned in Denmark by law, while here in the UK many, many hundreds of CCTV networks exists. Surveillance technology can monitor, track and assess the movements of any individual and their property (a good example was shown on TV, were the last movements of Jill Dando) much of this technology is used to track dissidents, human rights activists, journalists, GMO Warriors, Political opponents, marchers and protesters.
There are night vision goggles, parabolic microphones-to detect conversations almost a mile away; laser versions can pick up conversations from a closed window in line of sight; the Danish Jai Stroboscopic Camera can take hundreds of pictures in a matter of seconds and individually photograph all the participants in a demonstration, or even on one of the anti-euro or pro-pound marches.
None of this could happen here though could it? Remember the removal of flags early in this piece? Wolverhampton Council buildings did not “fly the flag” on St George’s Day this year (1999) well that is not strictly true, it was hoisted to the top of the flagpole, and then it was quickly taken down. It had been “raised in error”- it might offend other people! (This incident was reported in the Express and Star)
Under this New Labour Government we have seen the “down sizing” of the Monarchy, our Parliament bypassed more than once, the decimation of our House of Lords, the break-up of the United Kingdom through devolution. Should Commissioner Pattern’s recommendations be taken up, as seems likely, we shall see the removal of the swearing of the oath of allegiance to the Crown and this Country in Northern Ireland.(It did happen and also for SOCA) How long before the oath is deemed no longer applicable for Members of Parliament? Or that it is due only to the European Union? Added March 2009: Headlines in the Daily Mail 18.12.2004 “Palace Dismay as British FBI fails to swear its Allegiance”. Will SOCA and SO19 eventually come under Europol, or Eurogendfor? If these two former organisations are to remain under UK authority there really is no reason why they should not swear allegiance to the Crown and this Country. The other reason why they have not as yet sworn allegiance to the Crown is too horrible to contemplate. Perhaps through that paragraph one can see the real danger to this Country by 'no discrimination on the grounds of Nationality” which is in the ECHR and the Lisbon Treaty.. How about a majority of foreigners in the British Army, eg French, Polish? We could hardly call it a BRITISH Army any longer could we? How about “European”?
I look at Article 5 of the Treaty of Velsen; “Eurogendfor (EGF) may be placed at the disposal of the European Union (EU) and also of the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and other international organisations or an ad hoc coalition”. So basically Eurogendfor may be put into use anywhere that may be deemed a crisis situation by the EU, perhaps a country that objects to EU Treaties or Legislation, especially if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, or perhaps NOT ratified?
Article 16 (2) Eurogendfor Personal may possess, carry and transport arms, ammunitions, other weapon systems and explosives on the conditions that they are authorised to do so by their orders and that they do so in accordance with the laws of the Host State (HOST means the Party on whose territory the permanent HQ is located) and the Receiving State (The Party on whose territory EGF Forces are stationed or in transit).
Meanwhile our Prime Minister (Blair), makes known associates of IRA terrorists personally welcome in Downing Street. New legislation is rushed through Parliament so that Sinn Fein can take up Offices in the Houses of Parliament, and also arrangements made so that they can pick up travelling expenses and their allowances. By refusing to swear allegiance to the Crown, they are not able to take up their seats in the Commons. The Irish Flag is installed in the Offices taken over by Sinn Fein.
The EU and our government propose to set in place a totalitarian police state regime under the guise of precautionary measures against terrorism whilst there is absolutely no effort made to stop terrorists from slipping into this country with the illegal immigrants, melting away under the cover of darkness, enabling them to choose their own time, their own place to attack, to kill and maim for their “cause”.
Not all “evil men” are easily recognised and branded as terrorists. They come in all shapes and sizes, they can be leaders of countries, are adored and followed. One such that brought death and destruction for many millions, went by the name Adolph Hitler.
Do the people of this Country have to lose their freedom before they appreciate just what they have lost? I do so hope not, but then it couldn’t happen here, could it?
Update: March 2009. For demonstrations TODAY: There is nothing more un-nerving than a Silent Crowd. A crowd that is already under control, especially if there is already a great presence of (home) forces that have been put under the terrible pressure of controlling ‘their own’. By remaining silent, it not only un-nerves those that are waiting to pounce, but you remain free to demonstrate again, no finger-prints taken, no details and free to demonstrate again.
Here below are some very interesting articles. Some are long, but they are really of great interest. Anne
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/20000101_en.pdf
54 pages
NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN DEFENCE POLICY AND
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: A CHALLENGE FOR THE EU May 2001
Crowd Control Technologies: An Assessment Of Crowd Control Technology
Options For The European Union 127 pages
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/19991401a_en.pdf
Interception Capabilities 2000. 39 pages
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/19981401_2_en.pdf
DEVELOPMENT OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY AND RISK OF ABUSE
OF ECONOMIC INFORMATION 20 pages
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/19981401_3_en.pdf
DEVELOPMENT OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY AND RISK OF ABUSE OF ECONOMIC INFORMATION 19 pages
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/19981401_4_en.pdf
DEVELOPMENT OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY AND RISK OF ABUSE OF ECONOMIC INFORMATION 24 pages
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/publications/studies/19981401_5_en.pdf
Some of these might not be available anymore.
Taken from, An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control http://cryptome.org/stoa-atpc.htm
ENFOPOL Plans Provoke Opposition http://ww01.ix.de/tp/english/inhalt/te/1738/1.html
An Appraisal etc http://www.europarl.eu.int/dg4/stoa/en/publi/166499/execsum.htm
The European Surveillance Union by Erich Meachel
Articles from Houses of Parliament.
Speech by Romano Prodi.
Articles by Express and Star Wolverhampton,
Articles by Daily Mail.
Documents named in the above article.
It also shows without a shadow of doubt, that neither a vote in a referendum or election by telephone, fax or e-mail could be “confidential”, but that is a fight for another day I guess.
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