Greens join Camp for Climate Action

The Camp for Climate Action will took place in London from today onwards. Activists gathered at six locations:

- the head office of BP in London's St James' Square

- the Bank of England

- Stratford railway station, near the 2012 Olympics site- outside mining company Rio Tinto, in Aldermanbury Square

- Stockwell Tube station, to mark the death of Jean Charles de Menezes

- cyclists massed outside the headquarters of Shell on the South Bank, near Waterloo railway station

By text message, activists were then told to converge on the site for the week-long camp.

A number of leading Greens will be at the Camp for Climate Action, among them:

- Molly-Scott Cato, our economics spokesperson, will be on a panel on Friday to debate whether capitalism is sustainable and if not what should replace it.

- Caroline Lucas will be in workshop on Saturday, looking at growth/wellbeing issues.

Jenny Jones, the Green Party home affairs spokesperson, will attend the camp, and was highly critical of the policing around the G20 protests in London. Jones said, in advance of the Camp for Climate Action:

"Anyone who cares about civil liberties will understand how important peaceful gatherings and protests are, and how increasingly difficult the police have made it. So we will be judging the police's behaviour at the Climate Camp."

"Much has been promised by the Met, in terms of a softly softly approach, which includes giving the camp their own safer neighbourhood team, but now they have to live up to those promises, and hopefully regain some of the respect they've lost recently."

Greens object to police tactics at Vestas occupation

Police at the Vestas wind turbine factory occupation on the Isle of Wight have been preventing food being brought to protesters.

Acting without an injunction on private property, police officers have forcibly removed people, and repeatedly tried to break into the office where the protesting workers have barricaded themselves.

Police have also threatened the workers with arrest for aggravated trespass, despite no damage to the property where the protest is taking place.

Jenny Jones, home affairs spokesperson for the Green Party, said:

"This is a very heavy handed response and will do the police no favours with the general public who will understand the need to keep the company going. Factory occupations are usually a civil matter and using the police to deny people food is shameful and far from progressive policing. Workers protesting to keep their jobs shouldn't be starved out by the police."

Darren Johnson, the party's spokesperson on trade and industry, and parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford, will be speaking at an emergency demonstration in front of the Department for Energy and Climate Change, 3 Whitehall Place (next to Trafalgar Square), at 6pm tonight.

Johnson said that:

"The government says it supports a seven-fold increase in renewables, but it is failing to stop the loss of 600 wind turbine manufacturing jobs at Vestas. The closure of the Vestas plant would lead to a 20% increase in unemployment across the Isle of Wight. Now is the time for Ed Miliband to match actions with words, starting with Vestas."

Greens condemn revelations about alleged News Group phone hacking

The Green Party has strongly criticised inaction by Boris Johnson over revelations of hacking into mobile phones of public figures by the News of the World and other newspapers.

Jenny Jones, the Green Party's home affairs spokesperson and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said: "The right to privacy has been widely eroded in recent years, but it is a serious right that must be respected by everyone. If it is ever breached, there should be a clear and strong justification. A list of 1,000 individuals being hacked by private investigators looks like systematic trawling for gossip for which there is no higher journalistic justification."

Jenny Jones also criticised Boris Johnson's inaction on the issue: "It's like he's a rabbit in the headlights. Even if he is involved [as one of the public figures whose phone was hacked] it would be appropriate to invite the commissioner and to say why he did not pass it on. In some ways he has to defend the commissioner and the police service if there is going to be criticism, so he needs to know."

Jones added: "The disturbing thing is if there was proof that phones had been hacked why did [the police] not get in touch with people themselves? That is the worrying aspect. The Met should have informed the victims of these hacking operations, especially the political ones, so that they could change their phone numbers."

Media could revive UK democracy by spelling out what Greens are offering, says Jenny Jones

The Green Party has the most popular policies on public transport, the NHS, public services and job-creation - and the media will be doing British democracy a service if it reports all of this fully between now and the general election, one of Britain's top Greens tells Guardian readers today.

Jenny Jones, a London Assembly member and former deputy mayor of London, says in today's online Guardian:

"That the party which blazed new trails and pioneered joined-up thinking was caricatured as single-issue was against all logic, and against all the evidence. In fact it's one of the biggest ironies of modern British politics."

Now, she says, the media needs to present the full picture of the Green option facing the voters - because there are social and economic policies which only the Green Party is now offering, and which the public want to hear about.

In her comment piece, Ms Jones, who will contest the general election for Camberwell and Peckham against Harriet Harman, adds:

"Most of the time, most of the people get most of their information about politics from the mass media. It's a relief to see that the media has recently been giving more attention, for instance, to the Green Party's economic policies. Indeed, one highly respected journalist in the Daily Telegraph last week congratulated the Green Party for being ahead of the economic curve with its Green New Deal."

But, she added, the myth of the "one-issue Greens" has reappeared in the media even in the last few days.

Voters deserve to hear about the options - not just about three "increasingly similar and equally unappealing" parties

Jenny Jones said today: "Good democracy is based on good information. The voters deserve to be told about the options open to them in an election - not just about the increasingly similar policies of the biggest three parties.

"When the media gives 99 per cent of the coverage to just three parties, it's no wonder those parties win most of the seats. And when those parties are widely seen as equally unappealing, because they all have basically the same policies, it's no wonder so many people don't bother to vote."

She concluded: "The media could do British democracy a massive service. Let the voters see there is a very distinctive option in the form of the Green Party. The Greens are offering policies on transport and the NHS and the Royal Mail and job-creation that we know are popular - and it's not good for democracy that these policies are drowned out by over-reporting of Labour and the Tories."

The Liberal Democrats: Consistently Inconsistent About The Environment

"The Lib Dems know much more about pursuing the Green vote than about pursuing Green policies" says Green Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones in a comment piece on the Guardian website today.

"The result of which is that Lib Dem policy pronouncements are marred y inconsistencies and they have a tendency to say one thing at national level and do something else at local level."

"For example, Norman Baker Lib Dem Transport Spokesman has been saying a Lib Dem government would stop spending on road building; but his colleagues in Lancashire are still supporting the Lancaster Northern bypass."

"The Lib Dems have spoken in favour of congestion charging nationally, but against it in Edinburgh, Manchester and York."

"They want a zero carbon economy by 2050 - in principle. But they have opposed windfarm proposals in Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon and Worcestershire."

"The Lib Dems have opposed the expansion of Heathrow, but have been happy to expand Birmingham, Carlisle, Exeter, Liverpool and Norwich airports. They were wildly enthusiastic about Manchester airport's second runway - except for the LibDems in Stockport, which lies under the flightpath."

"The Lib Dems know much more about pursuing the Green vote than about pursuing Green policies. In the "green tax switch" they announced last September, the LibDems promised to "cut income tax and switch to green taxes on pollution instead." No serious Greens would contemplate this."

Jenny Jones welcomes mayor's approach to G20 policing questions

Jenny Jones, Green Party member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), today spoke warmly of the outcomes of the MPA's discussion of the Met's handling of the G20 protests.

She said:

"I welcome the creation of the civil liberties panel, and the fact that its first job will be to examine the policing of the G20 protests. The terms of reference for this panel incorporated all the concerns put forward in the two motions that went to the MPA."

"I feel that the London Mayor has listened to the concerns of Londoners and achieved a consensus about the way forward."

Ms Jones, who has been a Green Party member of the London Assembly and the MPA for nine years, continued:

"Part of our examination will cover the areas of major concern, like the level of force used against the peaceful protestors at the climate camp in Bishopsgate."

The Met's report to the police authority refers to organisers of the camp being avowed non-violent demonstrators and the success of the police's containment policy in keeping out violent elements (also known as kettling). Concerns remain that the police have failed to provide any evidence of any violence at the camp. On the contrary, video footage shows only passive resistance, said Ms Jones.

She continued: "I think that the use of riot shields and batons against peaceful protestors was fundamentally wrong and we have to keep on challenging the Met on their use of tactics like riot police, dogs and kettling."

But she welcomed:

* The Met's acceptance of her invitation to meet the climate camp protestors and include them within any review.
* Clear statements from the police that photographing officers is legal, and that the police cannot require protestors to delete photographs, or hand over mobile phones at these events, by reference to anti-terrorism legislation (a paper clarifying this policy is to be produced soon).
* Acceptance that officers should not systematically stop people on their way to a protest, asking for their names, addresses and even ID.

Met G20 tactics "fundamentally wrong" - MPA motion

A motion has been tabled for the agenda of the next public meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority on the 30th May, 10am at City Hall.

The motion recognizes that policing the G20 demonstration on the 1st April was:

"difficult, but believes that the strategy and tactics adopted by the Metropolitan Police were fundamentally wrong."

The motion outlines two key criteria which the current review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) needs to meet in order to restore confidence in the police:

"[it] must take evidence in a public forum from all concerned, including protesters, and closely examine other recent protests to consider the growing concern that police tactics have become more aggressive in recent years."

The motion outlines six principles which the review of public order policing must be based upon and concludes that:

"If these principles are not fully incorporated into the HMIC review and any recommendations that arise from it, then this Authority will re-examine what further steps need to be taken, including the possibility of instigating a further review."

Jenny Jones AM, Green Party member of the MPA and the party's home affairs spokesperson, said yesterday evening:

"As more and more stories flood out, the reputation of the police has declined with every slow motion replay of the latest corroborating video footage."

She continued:

"It would be easy to think that this misbehaviour is a sudden and worrying new development. Yet there is evidence that the G20 policing debacle is the result of repeated failures by police watchdogs, the media and politicians to deal with incidence of violent and repressive behaviour from the police in recent years."

"As a member of the Met Police Authority for the last nine years, I have been a critical friend of the police, defending them when I see the coverage is unfair, but making it clear when I think they have got it wrong. On 1st April, they got it disastrously wrong. They took away the liberty, the civil liberties and the human rights of hundreds of people who were protesting peacefully. Who had every right to protest and who needed the police's support. What the police did to the fluffy, happy, musical, picnicking Climate Camp part of the protest was violent and unprovoked."

London Mayor fails rape victims

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, has so far failed to come up with the money to deliver on his promise of three new rape crisis centres in London.

Only £233,000 a year was included in this year's budget towards the centres. At least £744,000 annually is needed to fund the Mayor's commitment.

The recent spring Green Party conference (last month, in Blackpool) demanded that rape crisis centres receive regular, reliable, core funding so that they can provide this essential service securely and permanently, rather than having to rely on volunteer fundraising and emergency appeals. Rape crisis centres across the country are, despite valiant volunteer efforts, failing to meet the need of new and past victims. 25% of local authority areas have no provision for rape crisis centres at all.

Jenny Jones, the Green Party's Home Affairs spokesperson, was only one of two Assembly members who supported an amendment to the budget in February which would have provided funding for all the centres.

Jenny Jones said: "If you promise something, you must jolly well get on and deliver it. There's a lot of back-tracking going on and a lot of women need these centres and need them immediately. Women in London have been let down by the police over the Worboys case and other investigations into rape. Now the Mayor is letting them down over his promise of more support."

Green Party asks more questions of Met on policing

Jenny Jones, the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Green Party (and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority) responds to the release of footage of a police officer striking a woman protester on the 2nd April 2009:

"This new video footage confirms what many of us knew, that the assault on Ian Thomlinson was far from being an isolated incident during the G20 protest."

"I have been copied in to a large number of the reports of alleged police unprovoked assaults and misbehaviour which are now on the desk of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. It's time for Paul Stephenson to restore public trust by showing that lessons will be learned. The use of kettling has to be curtailed and all officers seen acting unprofessionally must be traced and disciplined. Any attempt to avoid accountability by hiding police uniform numbers, destroying video images, or collusion over statements, must be severely dealt with."

"I'm writing to the Mayor of London with some ideas about how to improve policing protests for the future, but I have two further questions for the Met:

1) Will they search their own video footage of 1st April for similar police abuse of peaceful protesters?

2) Will they revise their tactic of snatching protesters' cameras and camera phones?"

URL: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/15-04-2009-further-G20-policing-questions.html

[Green Mail] "The police here are stopping peaceful protest"

Jenny Jones, Green Party Home Affairs spokesperson and London Assembly member, has called senior police in the Met "complacent" over their belief their officers behaved professionally at all times during policing of the G20 protests. Jones labelled the aggressive tactics used by police offices to manage G20 demonstrations as a threat to public safety.

Jones is calling for officers who were needlessly violent to be suspended from public order policing, pending the outcome of an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Jenny Jones: "The police's primary objective at all times should be to maintain community safety. Their management of the G20 protests clearly failed in this respect. Any officer involved in needlessly violent actions should be identified and suspended from public order policing pending the outcome of ongoing inquiries."

On Newsnight (7th April 2009), Jones added that:

"Kettling [of protesters] is probably reaching a point where it's a very violent thing to do, and you're beginning to punish the protesters, and potentially, completely innocent people."

"Kettling could create problems of its own -- people get crammed in, and begin behaving differently."

"The Met used to rush in and take troublemakers out of the crowd, and I think that was effective. Treating everybody as guilty is not the way forward."

"Several people have said to me that they won't ever go to demonstrations ever again. That's putting off the very people who want to be there, the people who are not lawbreakers, and want to protest peacefully. The police here are stopping peaceful protest and that is clearly against the law."

Death of Ian Tomlinson: did police "kettling" of demonstrators contribute to death of innocent man?

Jenny Jones, the Metropolitan Police Authority member who has formally complained over police tactics during the G20 demonstrations, has spoken out again today (1).

Ms Jones, a Green Party member of the London Assembly and her party's spokesperson on home affairs, said today:

"I'm very concerned about reports gradually coming out about the death of Ian Tomlinson.

"He appears to have been an innocent man. Did he get caught up in attempts by police and dog handlers to clear this area? Are the reports that he fell while being chased by police true?

"And did the policy of 'kettling' demonstrators contribute to his death?"

She continued: "I will also be seeking reassurances from the Commissioner that there will be no possibility of collusion amongst police officers over statements regarding his death and the IPCC iinvestigation. This was one of the recommendations from the IPCC following the Jean Charles inquiry."

**Eyewitness to death of Ian Tomlinson**

Meanwhile reports have continued to come in to the Green Party's central office from party members who were at the demonstration - including a report from a Manchester Green who watched as Ian Tomlinson died (2). Gayle O'Donovan said today:

"The behaviour of the police was the worst I have seen on any demonstration. Late in the evening we got a call from a friend trapped in the police cordon outside the Bank of England. He had been there for several hours in the heat with no water after receiving a head injury. We were concerned for our friend and others trapped in these conditions. We wanted to bring them water but the police, for reasons best known to themselves, would not allow us to give it out.

"A few minutes later we crossed the road and saw several medics begin CPR on a man lying on the ground. We later found out this to be Mr Tomlinson, the man who died. I certainly didn't see any of the paramedics being pelted with bottles or stones, as was reported by the police.

"It was later divulged that Mr Tomlinson was on his way home from work and probably not a protester. I believe he most likely became trapped due to police tactics on the day. The police were indiscriminate about who they corraled. They shut off an area trapping everyone inside. Parents and children, the elderly and passers-by can often get caught up."

Ms O'Donovan concluded, "The tactic's known as 'kettling' because of the effect it has on those enclosed - basically it raises the temperature and makes an outbreak of anger far more likely. It is a dangerous tactic that I think must now be investigated."