News Shorts and Other Busyness

MI5 Muscle In On Animal Rights Activism

Squall 12, Spring 1996, pg. 11.

The Security Services Bill, currently working its way through parliament, aims to “give the Security Service the function of acting in support of the prevention and detection of serious crime, and for connected purposes”.

With the end of the cold war MI5 agents have been finding themselves with less to do. As a result, the present head of MI5, Stella Rimmington, has negotiated a new role for her organisation in domestic, serious crime detection.

Under the new Bill, the phrase “serious crime” includes “conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose”. Among a list of expressed interests is the direct action activities of animal liberation groups. Groups such as the Animal Liberation Front have long been classified as ‘terrorists’ by the authorities, with anyone convicted of involvement receiving long prison sentences. However, the level at which these animal liberation groups operate is hardly grounds for the involvement a security service. MI5 have a multitude of special powers of operation well beyond public scrutiny. Their paperwork is protected from the usual rules of court disclosure, their operations are all secret and any member of the service speaking publicly about official malpractice is liable to special punishment under the Official Secrets Act.

The second clause of the Security Services Bill concerns the issuing of “property warrants”, an application procedure allowing MI5 agents to break into houses and vehicles in order to place eavesdropping devices. These applications will be approved or disapproved by Michael Howard.

The complaints procedure against MI5 agents and officers is also presently controlled by Michael Howard and monitored by the Security Service tribunal set up in 1989. Of the 187 complaints dealt with by the tribunal since it was set up, every one has been dismissed.

Effectively anyone suspected of having anything to do with the animal liberation cause will become a legitimate target for MI5 surveillance. Naturally the implications of this situation for environmental protesters is alarming to say the least. Indeed, with the definition of “serious crime” as loose as it is, the implications of these new powers extend to every level of domestic protest or political campaigning.

The Security Services Bill consists of two clauses written on one page of paper. The ramifications could fill volumes.