Another undercover police case hearing

They instigated and perpetuated an institutional prejudice against women social justice campaigners.

Court cases against the police for abusive undercover relationships continue, and next week, the South Wales Case has a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Two women and one man are suing The Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers over sexual abuse committed by an undercover police officer in Cardiff – ‘Marco Jacobs‘.

These cases concern the deployment of one of many officers who infiltrated social and environmental justice campaigns.

The deployments of these officers span well over 20 years, from Bob Lambert’s infiltration of several groups in the 1980s up to the unmasking of Mark Kennedy in October 2010.

The length of the abuse, and the high number of officers involved completely undermines any suggestion that this was a matter of individual police officers ‘going rogue’.

And while the officers are individually guilty of immoral conduct, the command structures (and those who head them) must take responsibility for the abuse committed by their officers – long term fake relationships, the birth of children.

At best, they turned a blind eye, and at worst, they instigated and perpetuated an institutional prejudice against women and against social and environmental justice campaigners, effectively orchestrating and allowing the abuse.

And this undercover policing scandal shows an utter contempt for our democratic right to participate in social justice campaigning.

One of the key reasons the people affected are bringing these cases is to expose what has happened, with the aim of preventing it happening to anyone else in the future.

The current assumption is that there are still undercover officers who are currently in intimate relationships with members of the public.

There has not, to date, been a statement or investigation which is full or open enough to give sufficient reassurance that this practice has ended.

It is public interest and outrage around these cases that has led to the police apologising to 8 women for similar cases, and to the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

We need to keep up the pressure. Without it, they may be able to brush this critical issue for our democracy back under the carpet.

Come to this picket on 23 May.

Shows of public support outside court hearings are incredibly powerful.

Standing with and supporting people who are courageously standing up against the state, means they do not feel they are taking this fight alone.

You and your friends are needed – to be there, to show that these issues are important to us all.

Or if you can’t come, then make noise about it in another way – talk about it, or share on social media. Raise the issue at hustings, or after the elections write to your MP.

Thanks.