The protesters who found themselves on police databases [View All]

Source: Guardian

The protesters who found themselves on police databases
Individuals who asked to see what police officers had recorded about their political activities
Rob Evans and Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday 3 May 2011 08.28 BST

John and Linda Catt, an elderly artist and his daughter, received files showing how police had covertly recorded their presence at more than 80 demonstrations over four years, logging details such as their appearance and slogans on their T-shirts.

Even John Catt's artistic endeavours were being recorded by police. "John Catt sat on a folding chair by the southern most gate of EDO MBM and appeared to be sketching," one entry stated. "He was using his drawing pad to sketch a picture of the protest and police presence," said another.

Matt Salusbury, submitted a data protection request to Scotland Yard and discovered that police had photographed him coming out of an openly advertised public demonstration and had too recorded what he had been wearing and said at protests.

One entry showed that noted that at a demonstration against Britain's biggest arms fair in 2007, police had noted that "at 1240 hours, Matt Salusbury, male IC1, observed cycling along Victoria Dock Yard wearing a high-visibility vest, black and red rucksack ... the bicycle he rode was a green Giant mountain bike with a carrier".



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/11/protesters-found-themselves-police-databases