There has been a lot of coverage about the police violence during the STWC demonstration against George Bush a couple of weeks ago. In the middle of all this is an interesting and very disturbing story.
This was the first demo I have missed for sometime, but in the early evening I had a call from my pal Yas who was there. She asked me about a guy we had both met at a Christmas Party - she wanted to be sure he did what she thought he did - a senior police officer with a hugely sensitive role. He had been deliberately trying to agitate including chanting "pigs" at the police. There are only three explanations for what happened - and you can read all about it in Yas's article in the Mail on Sunday. Firstly, he wasn't who she thought he was (unlikely as he recognised her and responded to his name and is someone who is striking to look at), secondly, he was deliberately living dangerously and for some reason got a thrill from it, thirdly, he was working - this is the most disturbing of possibilities. Yas's article has generated a lot of interest. I trust there will be a full police investigation.
This was the first demo I have missed for sometime, but in the early evening I had a call from my pal Yas who was there. She asked me about a guy we had both met at a Christmas Party - she wanted to be sure he did what she thought he did - a senior police officer with a hugely sensitive role. He had been deliberately trying to agitate including chanting "pigs" at the police. There are only three explanations for what happened - and you can read all about it in Yas's article in the Mail on Sunday. Firstly, he wasn't who she thought he was (unlikely as he recognised her and responded to his name and is someone who is striking to look at), secondly, he was deliberately living dangerously and for some reason got a thrill from it, thirdly, he was working - this is the most disturbing of possibilities. Yas's article has generated a lot of interest. I trust there will be a full police investigation.
Update: Heard from Yas this afternoon that George Galloway has now written to Jacqui Smith about this. Full text of his letter, which names the suspect is here.
This whole affair has attracted a lot of attention in the blogosphere. I understand from Yas that it appears the police are taking the story seriously as she is being interviewed by them shortly.
21 comments:
"a senior police officer with a hugely sensitive role."
An Inspector is not a senior police officer. And the Royal train is about as sensitive as a Martin Bashir interview.
The officer in question is known to have been in charge of 30 anti-terror officers while based at Kings Cross beofre his current posting.
This would certainly suggest a role more significant than the previous post would have us believe.
He has been named because he is no stranger to controversy, his career stalling after the discovery that he posted salacious details of his sex life on Facebook.
Galloway himself is under investigation on an assault charge.
How reliable is he?
"This would certainly suggest a role more significant than the previous post would have us believe.
Actually, it concurs precisely.
The BTP's grandly titled Counter-Terrorism Pro-Active Unit searches people at rail stations to reassure them that something is being done.
Or in the words of Insp Dreyfus: "For the past month-and-a-half I've been in a counter-terrorism role, managing three teams with eight police constables and one sergeant in each. We focus primarily on London. We conduct high-profile searches on the transport network, and work with the local community to gather information."
"He has been named because he is no stranger to controversy, his career stalling after the discovery that he posted salacious details of his sex life on Facebook."
He didn't. He posted that he was gay and single, those are only salacious details to a homophobe.
Have they sacked him yet?
He says it wasn't him.
And Yasmin says it was him. If it was mistaken identity how come he knew her?
Obviously one of them is a liar, but between a Daily Mail columnist and a cop I wouldn't want to bet on which.
Well, Yasmin isn't strictly speaking a Daily Mail columnist, as a playwright she has written a couple of previous articles for them. But whilst I have met Chris a couple of times at parties, he is not a friend like Yasmin is. I wasn't there, all I know is that I got a phone call from Yasmin sounding very disturbed on the evening of the demo, saying what had happened and checking that she was right to think that he was a police officer. As I have said before, he is striking looking, so difficult to mistake for anyone else and if that was the explanation how came he recognised her? He was also introduced to others besides Yas. As for believing Yas or a cop.....hmmm, no contest!
How come she didn't get a photo?
How come she wrote enough details to identify him, but didn't use his name?
Questions, that was the first question I asked her, did you get a photo - but she didn'tm in any case as soon as she asked him about being in the police he vanished. Not using his name was down to the paper's editorial control.
If she's prepared to write homophobic comment pieces in the for them, she's a Daily Mail columnist.
Her story of him vanishing and Galloway's claim to have been stood next to him for half-an-hour don't tally either.
Rakhmetov,
Don't understand your point. He was standing beside Galloway before he met up with Yasmin and only disappeared after she challenged him. I must admit I wondered if he was getting on the bandwaggon, but I met a mutual friend who was with Yas and had seen him standing beside Galloway before he came over to them. Anyway it is in the hands of the police now.
Linda,
This story has more holes all the time:
Why didn't yas mention that the man in question had been stood next to Galloway at the time, before melting away? Why did it appear in the gossip section of the Mail on Sunday rather than in the news? Why does the mail on sunday article have homophobic tone to it, if the intention was to highlight a major civil liberties outrage.
Given that that story appeared in the mail, and galloway has jumped on the bandwagon, the natural assumption is that the story is nothing more than a homophobic smear- no wonder appeared it the gossip section, it had no basis in fact.
Dear Anonymous
I wasn't there, I don't know why Yas didn't mention George, maybe she didn't notice that, or didn't think it was relevant (I will ask her) it wasn't her who told me that, it was another friend last night(one of the people who Yas introduced Chris to) who when I said I was a bit suspicious that GG may may jumping on the bandwaggon she agreed with me, but added that it was true that Chris had been stood next to him because she saw him. All I know is that Yas called me on Sunday evening about having seen him, she couldn't remember his surname and she wanted to check he was a police officer.I have no reason to disbelieve Yas, she is a close friend and as well as being honest to the point of embarrassment on occasions, you would have to explain to me why would she call me and for what motive would she concoct such a story? Also why about someone she had only met once and had probably forgotten until she saw him that day? She is not a journalist, she is a youth worker and playwright who writes occasional articles for various publications, so she was certainly not there as a journalist looking for a story. The questions re Mail on Sunday, you would need to ask their editor, but it wasn't in the gossip section it was in Femail - or maybe you consider that gossip?! Since she has now been interviewed by the police and they are apparently scouring the videos/pictures of the event, perhaps we will get to the bottom of this. However, if Chris was there at work,we may never know.
Linda, any update on this, it's all gone very quiet. If the story was true it would be a national scandal- all the more so if the police tried to cover it up. I'm surprised that the Mail never followed it up in this case or that Yas or yourself aren't making a big deal of it.
The last commentators wrote: "If the story was true it would be a national scandal- all the more so if the police tried to cover it up."
This shows a delicious naivete about how the mass media works - including much of the purportedly progressive media.
If this becomes a big story, it will be in spite of - not because of - the establishment media.
One aspect of this story that is potentially explosive has been barely mentioned so far. That's the fact that Dreyfus apparently had a key role in the policing of the 7/7 atrocities.
I imagine the last thing any of the hapless wimps in the mass media want is to re-ignite interest in that 'no inquiry, no inquest' mystery...
Incidentally, does anyone know more background about Dreyfus - his educational history, religion, ethnicity, allegiances, memberships and so forth?
Is he, for instance, like the earlier M Dreyfus, of Jewish ancestry? In these days of pro-Israeli fanaticism and given the independent State of Israel's international support network within the Jewish community worldwide, that's a legitimate question of public interest.
On past form, I predict the mass media will not investigate this second Dreyfus affair. In that respect, it will be the exact opposite of the more famous Dreyfus Affair.
We are the change - or more accurately, if there is to be positive change in the direction of peace and justice, we people must make it happen.
c'mon linda, what's happening with this- last week you said there'd be news soon as the police were interviewing yasmin, it's all gone very quiet now though.
In response to anonymous, it's gone quiet because Yas has been interviewed by the police and I am waiting to be. Since there is clearly an investigation going on, until there is an outcome, it would not be right to comment. But be assured, once there is an outcome I will have plenty to say!
Hi Linda,
Do you have an update on this yet?
Hi Linda
I read from afar about the mysterious agent provocateur case reported above in mid-2008 and have kept an eye on the case since.
I've written aa couple of articles recently on my own blog - see:
http://sydwalker.info/blog/?s=chris+dreyfus
Good luck with your campaign for the EP! One small point: the form on your campiagn website disallowed my comment because my email address is invalid. It is not. You may need to get your web designer to look into this.
If you could send me an email I'd be very grateful - I have a question.
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