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UK: Special branch "political police" spied on Wapping leaders

26 April 2015

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"Reports unearthed by SOLOMON HUGHES show anti-violence officers kept secret files on union chiefs and MPs who dared to support striking printers: "In 2005 I asked for pecial Branch files relating to the Wapping dispute between the Print Unions and News International. The Metropolitan Police gave me the 215-page file, which includes regular - often daily - reports of the picketing and demoemonstrations by Special Branch officers....

In a bizarre twist, while the Metropolitan Police did release these Wapping files to me in 2005, they have since refused all requests from other people for copies of the files, for "national security" reasons. They were not secret in 2005, but they are in 2015."

See the article: Special branch "political police" spied on Wapping leaders (Morning Star, link)

See also: Postal staff urged to find out if they were included on blacklist - Secret file of workers uncovered in 2009 after raid by Information Commissioners Office on Consulting Association (Guardian, link)

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