CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION

GENERAL SECRETARY 'ALARMED' AT EVENTS IN CORNWALL

The Celtic League has written to the Chief Constable for Devon and
Cornwall to protest about the arrest of several members of the Kernow
Branch during 2007 on suspicion of being involved with the Cornish
National Liberation Army/Cornish Republican Army.

The Celtic League initially wrote a letter of complaint to the Independent
Police Complaints Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall, Ian Boyne,
in February 2007, following a succession of arrests of one particular
member of the Branch ( Member A), who it was felt was being unfairly
harassed. No charges were ever brought against Member A by the police,
but throughout 2007 he informed other Branch members that he was being
followed by the police and on occasion provoked for his political
beliefs and his Cornish ethnicity by duty officers whom he was known
to, while out in public.

The League asked that the police investigate this matter under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act, in order to determine if
Member A was being deliberately harassed. After a request for further
information by the police investigating the matter, Member A asked
for the League to discontinue their enquiry due to the upset, stress
and frustration that it was causing him. Member A has since left Cornwall
for an extended period in an attempt to put the situation behind him.

Later on in the year however, on 6th September 2007, two other members
members of the Kernow Branch were arrested ( Members B and C), taken
to a police station in Cornwall and questioned about their alleged
involvement with the CNLA/CRA. A number of other Cornish activists
were also arrested, around the same time as Members B and C , who
although were not members of the Kernow Branch, had had contact with
the Branch and its members. Member C has since resigned from the Celtic
League, believing that his arrest was somehow connected with his membership
of the organisation.

Member B was released on the same day of his arrest to answer police
bail on 16 th January 2008, over four months after his arrest. On
the day of his arrest Member B had a large number of items confiscated
from his home by the police, including Cornish flags, a history book
and papers relating to Kernow Branch activity and he was hoping that
his possessions would be returned to him on the day he answered his
bail.

On the 16th January 2008 Member B was accompanied by several supporters
from the Kernow Branch to Camborne police station for 11am to answer
his police bail. At 430pm the last of the Branch supporters had to
return home, after not being informed when or if Member B would be
released. Member B was finally released at 9:00pm after ten hours
of interrogation with little money or means of returning home.

Member B later informed other Branch members that the police had asked
him about his possible contacts with the Free Wales Army, threatened
to charge him with conspiracy and led him to believe that they would
arrest further Cornish activists who, they seemed convinced, were
part of a Cornish 'army'.

The Celtic League campaigns on a broad range of issues including the
environment, politics, language and social justice through peaceful
means - as stipulated in the Celtic League constitution - and have
done so successfully for almost half a century. The arrest and apparent
harassment by the police of Celtic League members has led to some
members of the Kernow Branch resigning and pulling out of civil activity
and support for this important area of Celtic democratic campaigning.
More significantly and sadly, the recent arrests and poor treatment
of our innocent members in Cornwall affirms the suggestion made by
the Celtic League previously - that the Devonwall police in their
determination to root out members of the CNLA/CRE are possibly causing
more upset among ordinary Cornish people than the CNLA/CRE ever have!


The letter written by the General Secretary of the League to the Chief
Constable of Cornwall and Devon Police and copied to several other
sources is set out below (names have been emitted):


"Dear Stephen Otter

Treatment of Kernow Branch Celtic League Members

I am writing on behalf of the Celtic League to express our continuing
alarm at the treatment of members of our Kernow/Cornwall Branch and
one member in particular, Member B.

Throughout 2007 Kernow Branch Secretary, Mike Chappell, reported to
the rest of the League that a series of arrests had been made of members
of their Branch. None of those members arrested was charged, but consequently
a number of Kernow Branch members have now resigned their membership
of the League out of fear that their membership was somehow the cause
of their arrest.

One member, Member B, was arrested on the 6th September 2007, taken
to Camborne police station and interrogated for the entire day on
suspicion of having links with the Cornish National Liberation Army/Cornish
Republican Army (CNLA/CRA). He was also questioned about his activity
within the Celtic League. The Celtic League campaigns in a variety
of different ways on a broad range of issues including the environment,
social justice and language/culture. We undertake our activities through
peaceful and democratic means, as set out in our Constitution (see
enclosed). If any of our members don't adhere to the Constitution
of the League then they would be asked to leave the organisation.


At our 2007 AGM in Caerdydd/Cardiff Member B gave a detailed account
to other delegates of his treatment by the police on 6 th September
and the accusations that were made against him. He also informed us
that a surprisingly large and arbitrary quantity of his possessions
had been removed, including a history book, Cornish flags, his friend's
computer and paper files. To date, Member B has not had any of his
possessions returned to him and has had to give up his voluntary job,
because some of the confiscated items contained irretrievable work
related information.

As you may be able to imagine, Mr Chappell was beginning to doubt
his leadership of the Branch and the choice of campaigns the Branch
had been pursuing, because of the arrest of at least three of its
members. Consequently the delegates at the AGM unanimously agreed
the following statement:

The Celtic League gives the Kernow Branch its full support in its
activities during the last year in pursuing the aims of the organisation
through peaceful means.

On the 16th of January 2008 Member B answered his police bail at Camborne
police station at 11am, a staggering four months after his original
arrest. Several supporters from the Kernow Branch accompanied him
to the station, but after waiting five and a half hours outside the
station while Member B was being interrogated, the last of his supporters
had to return home.

The Celtic League has now learnt that Member B was held at Camborne
police station for ten hours while being interrogated by officers.
Neither his family members nor supporters were told when or if he
would be released. Member B was released from the police station at
9pm and without being a car driver, having no telephone (his phone
was confiscate by the police in September) and little money to make
the difficult journey to his home in Falmouth he was left stranded.
Member B also has a debilitating illness and is classified as disabled.
No charges have been made against Member B at the time of writing
and neither have his possessions been returned.

In February last year I wrote to the Independent Police Complaints
Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall Police, Ian Bynoe, to complain
about a succession of arrests of another of our members, Member A,
which seemed to boarder on harassment. Later Member A decided not
to pursue the matter further, being frustrated and upset with the
whole business.

The subsequent arrests of our other members since that time seem to
confirm our initial concerns that the Devon and Cornwall police are,
for some reason, targeting our members in Kernow/Cornwall. I have
therefore copied this letter to Ian Boyne, whom I addressed my initial
letter to, Jane Lashbrook in Exeter (Freedom of Information Officer)
who was also requested to follow up the matter under the Freedom of
Information Act and the Professional Standards and Performance Department
in Plymouth. Copies of our previous references regarding the above
can be found below.

In previous communication, further information was requested of those
other members of our Branch referred to in my letter that had been
visited by the police and/or felt harassed. I cannot provide this
information, because they still do not want to be named, for fear
that there will be repercussions, but I can provide the information
that can be found below.

Member A:



I believe you already have details of his arrests from our previous
communications. Member A was repeatedly taken to Liskeard police station.




Member B:

Arrested 6th September 2007 after an early morning visit to his home
address and taken to Camborne Police station. He was released without
charge at 5pm the same day and was asked to answer bail at Camborne
police station on 16 th January 2008.

Member C:

Member C was arrested on 6 th September 2007 and taken to Camborne
police station. Member C later resigned his membership of the League
along with several others (see above).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
General Secretary
Celtic League


Cc:
Ian Boyne , Independent Police Complaints Commissioner with responsibility
for Devon
Jane Lashbrook, Freedom of Information Officer, Freedom of Information
Office, Exeter (ref: 128/2007-1512)
JM Morgan, Caseworker, Professional Standards and Performance Department,
Plymouth (ref: PSD/QU/48/07)"

(Article prepared for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot)

J B Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League

18/01/08

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

TEL (UK)01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609

Internet site at
http://celticleague.net
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/





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