Sooooo, how did one of the world’s most famous activists get spied on by the NZ Police again?
Now you will remember at the end of last month, I was asking for someone, ANYONE in the NZ mainstream media to perhaps have a wee gander over the incredible revelations that the NZ Police spied on one of te world’s most famous activists..
Thankfully the NZ Herald did…
New Zealand Police spied on UK left-wing activist Helen Steel, Spycops inquiry reveals
British activist Helen Steel when she visited Auckland on a family holiday in 2002.
The secret operation included searching her luggage, trailing her movements and photographing her outside her sister’s home, at the request of the UK Metropolitan Police.
The undercover operation, which Steel has called a “staggering intrusion” of her and her family’s privacy, has emerged during a UK public inquiry, which has seen Metropolitan Police apologise to women targeted.
Steel was one of several women deceived into long-term sexual relationships with undercover police officers who were secretly gathering intelligence on political activists.
She had been in a two-year relationship with undercover officer John Dines, who used the alias John Baker – the identity of a dead child – while infiltrating the activist group London Greenpeace.
Steel was a prominent social justice, environmental and anti-corporate campaigner, while Dines was a police officer tasked with spying on her.
NZ Herald
…Helen Steel was one half of the famous McLibel case taken against McDonalds.
Her activism was some of the greatest against corporations of the late 20th century.
That she was caught up in domestic spying using fake lovers is outrageous enough, that the NZ Police helped spy on her is unbelievable!
In response to questions from the Herald, New Zealand Police Acting Assistant Commissioner National Security and International Sean Hansen said: “from time to time, New Zealand Police receive requests from our international policing partners for assistance relating to their ongoing investigations.”
New Zealand Police would not answer questions about what they were told by UK officials was the reason for the surveillance, or whether they deemed their involvement appropriate given what is now known.
No, no, no!
Spying on legitimate dissidents for our British Overlords seems a tad boot sucky to me.
Helen Steele is one of the great activists, she deserved way better than that, ESPECIALLY when a Labour, Progressives, United and Green Government was in Power at the time!
Did any of the Political Parties have any idea that this was happening in 2002?
Independent Media is more important than ever, especially in the lead up to the Election. TDB is the largest Left Wing Blog in NZ and we have been operating for 13 years. We get zero funding from NZonAir and we don’t have no rich backers. If you can donate please do so here or directly into our account –12-3065-0133561-56
Mix feelings on this—NZ Police need to be accountable for their actions. However, Greenpeace has done nothing for the Peace Movement in over 30 years—so should drop the ‘peace’ from their name—therefore Green
And if you were to give them advice on how to “Greenpeace” better, what would you suggest they do?
You must be kidding? Greenpeace have been monitoring our waterways for nitrates. Eventually a farmer’s kid will get colon cancer and possibly at that point we might get something done, here in the south where we have the highest rate of colon in the world.
I regard this sort of thing as outrageous and have not forgotten that Keith Locke whilst an MP was spied on. Oh dear is it only the left that is spied on, as someone on the left I don’t get this, is it still reds under the beds or what is it. I wouldn’t trust our spying ‘services’ ever for anything. Ridiculous amounts of money are paid out for what. ‘we can’t possibly tell you anything, you know secret squirrel…. But we know that no one in the Nats, Act, NZ have ever done anything dodgy.’ I know the story re Helen and others – the blokes all had white vans – was a TV doco, so they would find out where who and why lived etc.
In 1981 in Otautahi there were two people well known in the anti tour movement who simply disappeared and didn’t re-appear in 1985.