UK gov. dystopically keeping tabs on prospective critics: The Observer

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Observer/The Guardian
19 Nov 2023 15:43
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The British government is keeping secret files monitoring the activity of potential critics in a bid to censor them in a manner it sees fit.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament in London, November 15, 2023 (AP)

Fifteen government departments have been actively monitoring the social media activities of potential critics, compiling what has been dubbed "secret files" with the purpose behind this clandestine operation being the prevention of these individuals from speaking at public events organized by the government, The Observer reported on Saturday.

The departments involved include health, culture, media, and sport, as well as environment, food, and rural affairs. Under the issued guidelines, officials are instructed to scrutinize experts' social media accounts on platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Additionally, Google searches are conducted using specific terms like "criticism of government or prime minister."

The guidelines aim to restrict individuals who have voiced criticism of the government in the past three to five years from participating in government-organized conferences and events.

Human rights experts at the law firm Leigh Day uncovered the extensive monitoring, which is believed to affect a significant number of individuals across various sectors.

The Observer previously reported how the Department for Education attempted to cancel invitations for early childhood education experts critical of government policies. The revelation now suggests that this practice is widespread across government departments, raising concerns about its legality.

Tessa Gregory, a partner at Leigh Day, is pursuing legal action against the government on behalf of at least two experts. She argues that these covert checks violate data protection laws and may breach equality and human rights legislation. The Conservative party, known for championing free speech, is now in the corner in light of these revelations.

Plan in effect

One chemical weapons expert, Dan Kaszeta, was disinvited from a defense conference in April due to his social media posts criticizing Tory ministers and government immigration policy.

Kaszeta, who is taking the government to court, said, "The full extent of this is shocking and probably not fully known. I was lucky enough to be given clearcut, obvious evidence. It’s truly awful."

"I don’t have a duty of impartiality. Nor should I," Kaszeta added. "Trying to extend the civil service code to me because I was merely going to talk to an audience with a handful of civil servants is utterly wrong. I’m not a revolutionary Trotskyite."

The Observer obtained details of the monitoring guidelines used in several government departments, highlighting explicit instructions to maintain files on individuals found to be critical. The Cabinet Office has temporarily withdrawn these guidelines pending a review, citing a commitment to protecting free speech.

"It's a sign of weakness to refuse to engage with challenge. And it’s an even greater display of fragility, or petulance, or both, to refuse to listen to people on one issue because they’ve criticized you on another," Oxford University professor Jonathan Wolff said.

Fascism prevails

The United Kingdom is no stranger to censorship and attempting to conceal its activities in quite a fascistic manner, for while its government attempts to quell critics and keep that under the covers, it sought to suppress any information about the activities of its Special Air Services in Gaza in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper, which is affiliated with the Socialist Workers Party, revealed that it had received a "D Notice" from the Defense and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee, requesting that they refrain from publishing any details concerning SAS operations.

"D Notices" are used by the British state to censor news that might be damaging to its interests. The Defense and Security Media Advisory Committee is chaired by Paul Wyatt Director General Security Policy at the Ministry of Defense.

Socialist Worker editor notes that the current "D notice" is regarding British Special Forces operating in the Middle East.

An email sent to the newspaper reads:

"Reports have started to appear in some publications claiming that UK Special Forces have deployed to sensitive areas of the Middle East and then linking that deployment to hostage rescue/evacuation operations.

May I take this opportunity to remind editors that the publication of such information contravenes the DSMA notice code. I, therefore, advise that claims of such deployments should not be published nor broadcast without first seeking Defence and Security Media advice.

This Notice aims to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of classified information about Special Forces and other MOD units engaged in security, intelligence and counter-terrorist operations, including their methods, techniques, and activities.

Such disclosure could reveal details of operations or operating methods and techniques before, during and after their execution which would bestow an advantage on an adversary which could endanger national security and increase the risk to UK lives.”

To further highlight the United Kingdom's fascistic policies taken as of late, Metropolitan police chief Commissioner Mark Rowley declared that his forces will be "absolutely ruthless" during pro-Palestine protests but said prosecutions would only happen when the law is broken.

During his interview on Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday show, Rowley claimed that “many more” arrests are due in the coming weeks.

"We will robustly enforce up to the line of the law," he said, adding, "We're going to be absolutely ruthless and we have been and you’ll see many more arrests over the next week or so."