After several months in which there was confusion about his position, the Home Office has confirmed this afternoon that ex-MP John Woodcock (aka Lord Walney) has been sacked from his role as supposedly independent adviser on ‘Political Violence and Disruption’.
Woodcock was appointed by Boris Johnson nearly three years ago, and in May he held a press conference to promote his report outlining ways to clamp down on large-scale or effective protests, especially around Palestine and the climate crisis. That launch was hosted by Counter Extremism Network Ltd which has received hundreds of thousands of pounds from unknown sources.
His supposedly ‘independent’ report suggested that groups such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action should be treated in a similar way to organised crime, and that the problem of jury acquittals needed to be addressed.
His independence was immediately questioned by the targets of his suggestions and by lawyers. Palestine Action pointed out that he was the former Chair of Friends Of Israel, and was paid Chair of the Purpose Defence Coalition – a network of arms companies including Leonardo which has extensive links to the Israeli military. Meanwhile Just Stop Oil noted that he was a paid adviser to lobbyist Rud Pederson, whose clients include oil and gas giant Glencore, as well as being paid by the Purpose Business Coalition whose members include the fossil fuel giant BP.
Since his report was published, and some of its suggestions translated into law, more than 50 peaceful opponents of those very industries have been imprisoned, some receiving up to five years for organising peaceful protest.
Although today’s news has been widely welcomed by protest and campaign groups, there is much damage to be restored. Human rights in this country are under attack from huge corporations which profit from war and continued fossil fuel extraction. Their lobbying and media influence has led to the severe corruption of our democracy and our justice system.
We still await the outcome of a sentencing appeal for the #Walney16, and are waiting to see what today’s announcement will lead to – what will the Home Office’s new “expanded Commissioner for Counter-Extremism” role look like, and will it be free of corporate influence?
