The second stage of Inquiry hearings will hear an opening statement on behalf of Celia Stubbs on 21 April. Celia Stubbs is the partner of Blair Peach who was killed by a police officer at an anti-racism demonstration in Southall on 23 April 1979. Celia was spied upon whilst campaigning for justice for Blair’s killing and will give her evidence to the Inquiry on 6 May 2021.
The submissions highlight the discriminatory nature of the surveillance and make the point that the only plausible explanation for the spying was to frustrate police accountability:
“The targeting of campaigns around the deaths of black and Asian people or the activities of black MPs, uncomfortably mirror the very complaints that campaigners were making about the disproportionate policing of black people and the lack of respect for the rights of black and Asian communities. It is shocking that in doing no more than seeking accountability by lawful means these families became the focus of unwarranted suspicion, and of covert and intrusive policing that the public might understandably presume would be reserved for those engaged in serious criminal activity, not civil liberties campaigners.”
The full submissions can be read here.
Simon Creighton and Molly Cox are acting with Matthew Ryder of Matrix Chambers and Sam Jacobs of Doughty Street Chambers
