Spycops' lawyer says inquiry should be wary of ‘judging 20th-century matters’ by today’s standards
Kate Wilson arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in February for her High Court hearing over undercover police relationships
by Bethany Rielly
A LAWYER representing spycops has urged the inquiry examining the long-running scandal to be wary of the “real dangers of judging 20th-century matters” by today’s standards.
The Undercover Policing Inquiry, which opened on Monday, is scrutinising the tactics of two secret units which, together, infiltrated over 1,000 political groups stretching back to 1968.
Yesterday’s session focused on the Metropolitan Police’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), which operated between 1968 and 2008, during which time officers stole the identities of dead children and duped activists into sexual relationships.
More from this author
In an exclusive investigation, BETHANY RIELLY looks at how the state targeted leading politicians and campaigning groups — labelling many well-known figures 'extremists' and 'subversives' for attempting to hold the police to account
On September 4, 16 Eritrean asylum-seekers were arrested at a protest against their country’s dictatorship and its supporters here. Since then, questions have been raised about whether the British authorities are doing enough to protect activists and asylum-seekers from the ‘long arm’ of the regime in Asmara
