Tony Bunyan, 1941-2024
10 September 2024
Tony Bunyan, Statewatch's founder, Director (1991-2020) and Director Emeritus (2020-24), passed away on Monday 9 September. He was a trailblazing figure in the defence of civil liberties and human rights across Europe, leaving behind a legacy of tireless work and advocacy through his leadership at Statewatch, the organisation he founded in 1991 - as well as at The Shape of Things to Come library and archive (run by the Tony Bunyan Foundation) since 2018. He was an accomplished investigative journalist whose commitment to exposing the abuse of civil liberties ran throughout the entirety of his life.
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Born in 1941, Tony grew up in the UK during a time of vast social change. His early experiences fueled his passion for justice, leading to a career that would leave an indelible mark on European civil society. Through countless publications, reports, and legal battles, Tony was an outspoken critic of government secrecy and worked to protect the rights of individuals in an increasingly securitised world.
Cinema and the arts were just as important to Tony in understanding and exposing the state. His time learning to be a stage manager at the Central School of Speech and Drama exposed Tony to a world of artistic political expression. Producing plays such as Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets, and watching emerging political cinema of the 1950s went hand-in-hand with his desire to be in and among the throes of the extra-parliamentary movement. Films such as Reds (1981) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961, filmed on Fleet Street, where Statewatch’s office has been since 2017) were top of his recommendation list.
Tony’s life was marked by an unwavering commitment to justice, libertarian ideals, international socialism and importantly, holding power to account. Cutting his teeth in theatre and student politics, it was in journalism where Tony's passion for justice found a voice.
In journalism he found a way to expose abuses in UK policing and the impact of state secrecy on communities around the world. He remained a lifelong member of the National Union of Journalists. During his tenure at Time Out magazine in the 1970s, Tony was known for covering a wide range of topics related to social issues, politics, and culture. Thanks to his contributions, Time Out helped bring attention to critical issues related to state secrecy, racism, and political oppression.
Tony achieved an iconic front page for Time Out during the coverage of the Angry Brigade trial, which can be seen here at MayDay Rooms. Tony also made significant contributions to Time Out behind the scenes, as ‘Father of the Chapel’, leading Time Out journalists' first strike action. Tony’s writing and the magazine itself were influential in giving visibility to underground movements, activism, and social justice issues, resonating with the Gramscian understanding of resistance.
It was around this time that Tony became involved in the Institute of Race Relations - a commitment he would fulfil for more than 50 years, later being elected as honorary president. Working alongside the institute, Tony made crucial connections between the over-policing of minoritised groups and increasing reports of police brutality in the UK. In 1976 the first edition of his book, The History and Practice of the Political Police in Britain, was published. It remains a classic text and an essential source on how the British state has sought to spy on, infiltrate and undermine political groups and movements.
Shortly after the publication of the book, Tony and a group of others founded State Research, a publication that sought to document and expose the activities of the UK state in the fields of policing, immigration control, security and intelligence and the military. Almost 30 editions of the State Research bulletin were published over five years, alongside special pamphlets such as an edition of E.P. Thompson’s The Secret State (the full back catalogue remains available in the Statewatch Library & Archive) During this time, it became known to the members of the State Research collective that they had been named on certain lists kept by the authorities as “unaffiliated revolutionaries” - a label intended as a warning, but in which Tony always found a distinct humour.
In line with the theory of ‘watching the watchers’, Tony went on to work for the Greater London Council (GLC) as the Head of the Policing Unit. It was here that he and the Policing Unit helped to establish and support police monitoring groups in each London borough, to ensure police abuses were tracked, recorded and challenged. This work supported local initiatives of various boroughs to establish monitoring committees and the independent grassroots campaigns organised in response to particular abuses of power. His work contributed to the GLC’s radical agenda, which challenged institutionalised power structures and supported community-driven policy reforms. He continued this work after the GLC, establishing the London Strategic Policy Unit. Many documents, reports and materials produced by the Policing Unit and the police monitoring groups it supported are available to consult in the Statewatch Library & Archive.
In his work on Europe, he was one of the first analysts to articulate the importance of exposing the authoritarian nature of the European state and in 1991, Tony founded Statewatch. Continuing in the spirit of State Research, but with a focus that looked beyond the UK to include other European states as well as EU institutions and agencies, the organisation has exposed countless crucial issues of surveillance, security, and democratic oversight, whilst defending the interests of marginalised and underrepresented groups. Tony served as Director of the organisation for almost three decades, through which he became well-known and widely-respected across Europe amongst activists, journalists, campaigners and policymakers.
Tony retired in 2020, transitioning to the role of Director Emeritus of Statewatch, but his legacy continues to shape the discourse on civil liberties in Europe. His contributions have been instrumental in preserving democratic oversight and ensuring that state surveillance powers are held in check by civil society. His impact can be felt in both the UK and the EU, particularly on migration, anti-terrorism laws, and data privacy issues.
His commitment to transparency and public access to official documents and information saw him challenge some of the EU's most controversial security measures, including post-9/11 legislation that expanded telecommunications surveillance and police powers across the Union. His tireless work against secrecy, for civil liberties and for human rights earned him numerous accolades, including the 1998 award from the British Campaign for Freedom of Information and the 2011 "Long Walk" award at Liberty's Human Rights Awards.
Retiring didn't mean resting for Tony. He dedicated the final years of his life to indexing, cataloguing and curating his personal library and archive, which is available for viewing upon request here. It was Tony's intention that his collection be used to inform, inspire and agitate the next generation of activists around the world. The collection examines how the past and present can "shape the things to come." This title for the library is borrowed from HG Wells’ speculative fiction on the hazards of an all-encompassing, authoritarian, global super-state. You can read Tony’s own words on the Library here.
“All libraries and archives have a different emphasis and history. This personal archive has been gathered over 60 years and holds unique materials from national and local struggles in pamphlet format, from Roneo to lithographic publications, alongside key books and journals from the 1920s and before. It is one of the ways to make sense of the past, learn from mistakes and keep fighting for a just world.” - Tony Bunyan
It would be remiss not to mention that Tony was a lifelong season ticket holder to Arsenal, and a lifetime member of the National Union of Journalists.
Tony’s brilliance and dedication touched the lives of countless journalists, academics, lawyers, activists, policymakers and more. His work inspired many, creating a lasting impact on both civil liberties in Europe and the global conversation around freedom and privacy. His courage, intellect, and commitment to justice will be remembered by all who had the honour of working alongside him.
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