from the book just out on undercover police activity
" At least three SDS officers had already been embedded in anarchist groups in the early 1990s. One was in a small anarchist group called the Direct Action Movement (DAM), which had existed since 1979. Its associates believed capitalism should be abolished by workers organising themselves at the grassroots level, a political philosophy known as anarcho-syndicalism dating back to the late 1890s. Oneconfidential Special Branch document states that a detective constable who worked as an SDS spy ‘successfully’ infiltrated DAM between 1990 and 1993."
Jun 26 2013 13:41
Jun 26 2013 19:29
Not surprising, but worrying nonetheless.
I've always basically taken it as a given that SF emails lists are probably monitored in one form or another. After all it doesn't take much to join a local, get on some lists, drop out of activity and then basically have it forgotten that you joined the list in the first place.
Security culture--although I find the term a bit wanky and activisty--is pretty damn important--and not just for cops either, but certainly journos.
Jun 26 2013 19:52
I remember him, he was in N&C London. Didn't know him that well, but not massively surprised that this happened.
Jun 26 2013 23:24
martinh....i take it from the local, we prolly didn't have contact with them...but WSA always would appear in your IB (we did lots of campaigns and solidarity stuff then, DAM were good partners)
Jun 27 2013 09:12
Chilli Sauce wrote:
I've always basically taken it as a given that SF emails lists are probably monitored in one form or another. After all it doesn't take much to join a local, get on some lists, drop out of activity and then basically have it forgotten that you joined the list in the first place.
All of that is unecessary. Email is and always was a "postcard" means of communication. Eveyone that handles the email can read it unless you encrypt it. This means lots of servers/routers etc. on the way from you to the recipient.
Knowing what we now know about GCHQ means they'll scan your lists for sure. Perhaps not read it all unless your'e up to no good 
but monitored it will be. PGP FTW!
Jun 27 2013 10:30
Name, or rather false name Martin?
Jun 27 2013 21:18
I knew him (not very well) as John, which appears to be both his real name and his alias.
There's a pic here along with the story of how he became the lover of an activist and betrayed her
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/03/woman-search-police-spy
IIRC he moved on from DAM to environmental/ animal rights stuff, which was the opposite trajectory to most people we came across then.
Jun 28 2013 08:48
Documentary on the subject:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3540370
(An SDS cop was branch secretary of one the Trot front groups.)
Dec 3 2013 16:39
The Guardian's Rob Evans says he'd be interested in more info about the DAM and Class War infiltration:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-ev...
Dec 4 2013 08:00
Thanks for the link.
It's worth keeping updated on the legal battle by eight women against the British Metropolitan Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers:
Police Spies Out of Lives. Support group for women's legal action against undercover policing
The site has updates, extensive information and links to audio clips, transcripts and newspaper interviews with some of the women in the case.
Libcom thread here:
http://libcom.org/forums/news/police-spies-out-lives-27112013
Dec 4 2013 10:54
The November 'Woman's Hour' interview with two of the women is good.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03cv46z/Womans_Hour_18_10_2013/
Edit:
It states 18-10-13, though I remember hearing it in November - it must have been a repeat.
One would always assume this sorta thing.... Having close relations with the DAM, I would be so very interested if it was someone we were also in contcat with.