Reports: London Labour supports withdrawal

deprived of sleep, water, food and clothes — and kept in isolation. In some cases they were subjected to intense interrogation (every few hours) and physical assault. Val Green, a nurse working in East London, was assaulted and held naked, except for 2 filthy blankets, for 24 hours; she is now trying to bring a case of assault against the police. Information on the condition of others (who were later released) includes a description of a woman in her sixties who vomited continuously throughout the four days of her detention; the arrest of a man in his seventies; and of another, picked up in Southampton, who on his release had to be taken to a psychiatric wing of the Royal South Hants Hospital. The day following the arrests it was publicly claimed through the press that this ‘carefully planned’ police operation had forestalled both a pre-Xmas bombing campaign and the assassination of public figures. The Daily Express jubilantly declared that ‘the roundup’, Operation Nimrod, seized ‘suspected terrorists from their beds, one believed to be head of the Provos in Britain’. The Daily Mail confidently declared that those arrested were ‘two IRA Active Service Units’, ‘killers hand-picked fora major operation’. However, over the next few days despite these predictions, all except nine of those arrested (four women and five men) were eventually released. The nine have been charged with offences ranging from three conspiracy charges — withholding information about acts of terrorism and conspiracy to cause explosions (unspecified) and to effect an escape from gaol — plus two possession charges — possession of ammunition and firearms. Two of those charged with withholding information are now out on bail, the other seven have been remanded in custody in Brixton Prison.

Numbers detained Offence under Acts commit offence under Acts 1974 59 1975 1067 1976 1066 1977 853 1978 622 1979 857 29 Total 4524 49 Numbers charged with offences Conspiracy to Other

ISR 25

Not charged with offence or excluded Numbers excluded offence 8 39 60 49 38 18 47 220 Percentage of detained charged with offence under the Acts: 1%.

Percentage of detained charged with other offences: 5.5%.

Percentage of detained charged with any offence: 6.5%.

Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Issue 1/80, 29 January 1980.

While at this stage, before the cases come to trial, it is not possible to anticipate the nature of the police evidence, nevertheless it is well known that in cases where there is little or no evidence the use of conspiracy charges makes it very difficult to disprove.

It is important to emphasise that these (December) arrests and charges are not isolated incidents: the arrests represent only the latest in a series of similar events which have taken place during the past four years. In 1979 alone, 857 people were arrested, over 200 more than in the previous year.

The pattern which emerges from Home Office statistics* reveals that specific areas have come under heavy police activity, namely the ports and London.

Since 1974 the highest number of detentions have occurred in the areas of Merseyside (1,101), the Metropolitan Police (999) and Dumfries and Gallway (828) while-the highest number of extensions to detention orders have been in London (179 or 17.9% of those detained) and in Hampshire where 43% of the people arrested have been detained for longer than 48 hours.

The information concerning those charged under the Act shows that during the past four years the most widely used charge is Section 11, withholding information: 13 out of 49 people have been charged with this offence. Other functions the Act performs are also made evident, in particular its use as a form of immigration control. In 1979 and ’78 the numbers deported were twice as many as in 1977 and ’76.

In total 165 people have been ‘removed’ to Northern Ireland and 31 to the Republic. * Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Issue 1/80, 29 January 1980. Other material 1. NCCL, ‘The PTAs 1974 and 1976’, Catherine Scorer, 1976. 2. NCCL ‘Briefing Paper on the Operation of the PTA’, March 1979. 3. Brian Rose-Smith, ‘Police Powers and Terrorism Legislation’ in Policing the Police, March 1979, Caldor pubs.

London Labour supports withdrawal A resolution calling for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland was placed before the Annual Meeting of the Greater London Region of the Labour Party at the beginning of March.

This conference represents some 91 constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), together with delegations from trade union regional committees, and socialist and Co-operative societies.

The organisation proposing the resolution was the Political Committee of the London Co-operative Society (PCLCS). This body had originally put forward a resolution calling on the Government ‘to commit itself to a policy of withdrawal from Northern Ireland’. After compositing with amendments from Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP, Islington North CLP, and the South Suburban Co-operative Society, the following resolution was produced:- ‘This Annual Meeting calls on the Parliamentary Labour Party to commit itself to a policy of withdrawal from Northern Ireland.

Annual] Meeting dissociates itself from the sterile ‘bipartisan’ posture which has in fact not led toa negotiated political solution in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, we welcome the decision of the NEC to set up a special sub-committee to review party policy on Ireland.

‘In order to involve as many party members as possible in the work of this sub-committee we call on the NEC to ensure that:i) the sub-committee meets frequently (at least once a month) ii) it invites CLPs and affiliated organisations to submit evidence and views on party policy on Northern Ireland ili) that ali such evidence and views submitted are made available to party members on request.’

Prior to the Annual Meeting the PCLCS had circulated CLPs in the Greater London area with a letter explaining their reasons for supporting a ‘British withdrawal’ resolution. They said:- ‘Our aims are still those of the Better