NO2ID

I have been informed that the Home Office's biometric roadshow will hit the north east of England on Wednesday 21 September - in two days' time.

The show is due to take place at the Gateshead Metro Centre from 10.30am until 5.00pm.

Who would like to join me at the Metro Centre on Wednesday to welcome Mr Burnham to the north east?

Stephen

I can join you. I will bring a large box of no2id leaflets that I happen to have.

Well done for finding out the day and time! It might be worth emailing the Newcastle coordinator (newcastle@no2id.net) just in case he doesn't know about this yet.

Excellent. You don't happen to have a NO2ID banner or know someone in the north of England who does, do you?

I've e-mailed the information about this roadshow date to the group coordinators list, so newcastle@no2id should have received word.

Stephen

Sorry, I don't have a banner, or T-shirts . I'll be bringing some friends along though, and I have put the word out on my local no2id mailing list (York). Hopefully the Newcastle coordinator will be able to sort out a banner.

Ugh, I hate spending any time at the soulless Metro Centre (ideal venue!), but I'll be there, and will let others know.

Hey chaps, get the word out now to some alternative media websites for a really BIG public response.

Baron, will you be there? Of course not. If you know some good media for getting the information out, get in touch with them and tell them. Don't tell other people to do it. Everyone else is already busy enough.

I don't live anywhere near to it but I will do my best to get to the one planned near to where I live. As for doing what you say, well I have already sent off the details to some sites but I don't have registration to all the forums. If anyone has a registration to the channel 4 news forum that would be a good one.

Should this be moved to Events now?

I've started a thread there with the same name to confuse everbody until moderators move it.

http://www.no2id.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2518

Perhaps I should have started the thread there... nevermind.

I'm taking charge of getting people together for this event. All those interested in attending should e-mail me:- loughborough @ no2id.net (please ignore the illogic of e-mailing 'loughborough' for an event in Gateshead/Newcastle).

Thanks.

Stephen

Have you found out where it is yet? And when? Or are you waiting for other people to do the hard work? Have you contacted others in your area so you can all go to the roadshow at short notice if you find out about it on the day? Do you have any T-shirts, placards and banners already prepared?


Clearly an insurmountable barrier.

I'm a journo in Newcastle (and NO2ID supporter) and will do my best to spread the word through the mainstream media channels

Can you also try to find out the exact schedule and pass it on to Stephen, please? The Home Office will have to let the media know what time the minister will be there (assuming that he attends) if they want photos and interviews with him to appear in the local papers, radio and news bulletins.

Just to echo Geraint's above comments - please let me know ASAP if you come by more detailed information about the event - right now we can only guess as to what time Andy Burnham will be present - and having a specific location within the Metro Centre ahead of time would also be helpful.

Please send any information to loughborough @ no2id.net.

Thanks.

Stephen

Yes it is considering it takes at least 2 days. Anyway what is the point of your nitpicking? What are you doing about it?

The protest has been moved off the premises by the shopping centre security and the police; unfortunately, before Mr. Burnham has made an appearance.

Some observations:

Several small independent groups of No2ID supporters (handing out leaflets) were moved off the premises and threatened with arrest ("breach of the peace") if they returned. There was no scope to put up banners or stalls ("private property").

Police presence became much heavier as the day went on - overheard radio conversations suggest police were co-ordinating the security operation, as you'd expect. Metrocentre security used hand held cameras to record activists faces.

At the time I left (around 2pm), the minister hadn't yet arrived nor had media - home office staff on the stall now looked rather paranoid of passers by, and were surrounded by police and security. One group of No2ID supporters was negotiating to return to the centre to speak with the minister when he arrived.

Hardly any shoppers in the Metrocentre today. Those I spoke to seemed to be of the "sleepwalking" variety, repeating phrases such as "I've nothing to hide, therefore nothing to fear". The reason I heard from almost everyone supporting ID cards was the belief that it would help deal with a terrorist threat.

No2ID press release

This is starting to get ugly. Do we need to take video cameras to protect us from unlawful police treatment? Should we call in the Clown Army?

I was there. We had our own photographer who will hopefully be able to put some pictures of the event on the web soon. They may include pictures of us being removed by the police and security staff.

I should say that the police were enforcing a local byelaw prohibiting demonstrations in the shopping centre, so they probably didn't act unlawfully. However, they had quite clearly been given instructions to remove us.

I also spoke to the shopping centre's management at length - they were sympathetic to our cause, but said that they were nevertheless unable to allow any demonstrations on the premises due to the byelaw. It then became apparent that our mere presence in the shopping centre (minus leaflets) was too much for the roadshow staff, as we were then ejected for a second and final time.

Amusingly, I believe that I have now been banned from going to the Gateshead Metro Centre! I can't say I will miss the place.

I know that No2ID have supporters in the civil service (I've spoken to a few) but perhaps we have far more support in the Home Office than we ever suspected.

Really, could they have handled this whole farce any better for us? Keeping the roadshow secret, being confronted by protestors across the country, using the police to keep protestors away ...

The appearance of desperation is casting a shadow over the Home Office's plans. It will be interesting to see how they try to spin this tour as a success. They certainly cannot claim not to have encountered any opposition.

Hopefully the folk in Bristol, Southampton and the other place (I am guessing Wales, probably Cardiff, or perhaps the South East of England) will be able to keep the pressure on when they are honoured with a visit.

I've forwarded the press release to Channel 4's email, my contact at BBC Bristol, a local journo & the Ch4 & today forums.

This story should be front page news across the country.

Get those photos developed!

I was at the Metro Centre today and I was ejected twice (as with Jack).

Members of the public (the few there actually were passing the stand) can only have taken away one impression from today's event:-

The Home Office is running scared.

Following our initial ejection (just one hour after we arrived) by several members of the security staff, including one who deliberately intimidated us with a video camera, and a police sergeant (who arrived about 30 seconds after we were initially told we weren't welcome), the Metro Centre stationed 4-5 security staff in the vicinity of the Home Office's stand along with two police constables and a police sergeant, all of whom remained within a few feet of the stand for the remainder of the time I witnessed.

It must have been a shoplifter's paradise today - all the security resources of the centre and the local police were focussed around the Home Office's roadshow stand! They were completely paranoid that someone might attempt to argue against the Government line on biometric technology and ID cards. As Jack says above, by the end they were petrified of the very presence of any individual from NO2ID! What on earth have the people from the 'public awareness' roadshow got to hide from the public..?

I observed on my way home from the Metro Centre that police constables had all been stationed at public transport entrances to the centre, presumably to attempt to identify protesters as they arrived.

Our tax money hard at work - paying for expensive whimsical secret technology demonstrations to a handful of members of the public and paying for police officers to deal with any whiff of descent from members of the public.

Does anyone know if the minister actually made it to the stand?

Stephen

Seems the Mr Burnham did arrive. This from the North East Green Party list:

"We've just come back from the Metrocentre's Biometrics Roadshow. There were a lot of drably yet smartly dressed white people about ( both Home Office people and punters ) who all presumably believe they have nothing to fear from all this.

I didn't make contact with anyone as it all seemed a bit creepy and there appeared to be no No2ID people about, although they might have been keeping a low profile as there were quite a few security staff and police around. There was someone there who looked a bit like the picture of Andy Burnham MP which I found on the internet. He didn't look like the sort of fellow who gets stopped and searched!

All in all it was a bit sinister; I urge everyone to write to his/her MP to let them know lots of us object. Any campaigning suggestions would also be welcome here."

The event was definitely 'sinister' and 'creepy' from the time we were confronted by the police and goodness knows how they can justify keeping two constables and a sergeant on duty within a few feet of the roadshow stand for the day, although we did apparently commit the criminal offence of publically opposing a key New Labour policy.

NO2ID were, of course, there for a time - but we couldn't remain after we were told we would be arrested for trespassing and breach of the peace - just for trying to present another side to the Home Office's story.

I've just been looking over the leaflets I picked up from the biometric roadshow stand - would you believe there is absolutely no mention of the estimated cost of the scheme - not even the up-front cost for new passport applicants of some £100.

Stephen

I hope you posted a link to this thread to the North East Green Party list so they know why we weren't there.