NO2ID

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/0 ... sfeed=true

Protester sues police over surveillance database

Spy unit kept detailed record of 86-year-old John Catt's presence at more than 55 demonstrations over four-year period

* Rob Evans and Paul Lewis
* The Guardian, Thursday 9 February 2012


An 86-year-old man is launching a landmark lawsuit against police chiefs who labelled him a "domestic extremist" and secretly recorded his political activities in minute detail.

Lawyers for John Catt are due to open the legal action at the high court on Thursday against a clandestine police unit that has been at the centre of controversy over its undercover infiltration of political groups.

Catt, who has no criminal record, was "shocked and terrified" when he discovered that police had kept a detailed record of his presence at more than 55 demonstrations over a four-year period.

The police had detailed how the Brighton pensioner took out his sketchpad and made drawings of demonstrations he attended. Also logged were slogans on his clothes and details of his appearance, such as "clean-shaven".

His legal action threatens to deal another blow to the secretive National Public Order Intelligence Unit, which has been covertly monitoring protesters since 1999.

The unit has recorded the activities of thousands of campaigners on a nationwide database. Defeat in the court case would put pressure on it to delete details of activists from the database.

A similar case in 2009 compelled the Metropolitan police to remove 40% of the photographs it held on a database of protesters after the court of appeal ruled that the force had unlawfully retained an image of an anti-war campaigner, Andrew Wood.

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I hope he wins his case. This spying and storing data of every person like this has got to stop.

So just because you don't tow the line or don't agree with something ,your classed as a domestic extremist. Absolutely pathetic.

Remember even if you don't take part is some protest, demonstration, the police are well known for monitoring and storing details of people just for being there.