Day 304 - 22 Nov 96 - Page 23


     
     1        which it could be achieved.  That was day 261, page 59,
     2        line 40.  Mr. Gravett spoke about his efforts to organise
     3        the fayre in 1989 and he had explained that there had not
     4        been enough people to organise the fayre due to lack of
     5        interest, so he had done it almost single-handedly.
     6        Similarly, in the run up to the 1990 fayre he had noted the
     7        apathy and lack of interest and asked for more volunteers
     8        to come forward to assist.
     9
    10        I am not sure which day this is of Mr. Gravett, actually.
    11        But he said on page 72, line 52, and there are two days of
    12        his evidence, which is 273 -- it is probably 272 for that
    13        reference, actually -- that "people were not interrogated
    14        as to their beliefs on coming to a meeting and that they
    15        would not be asked to state their position".  Obviously,
    16        that is in relation to each issue, or whatever, that came
    17        up.  When he was asked by Mr. Rampton, "You are all working
    18        together for the same ends", he replied that the only ends
    19        that people in London Greenpeace, he would say that were
    20        shared by all, were that they were against the exploitation
    21        of human beings, animals and nature, the environment.  He
    22        said, "Now, as to what means people chose to do it, it was
    23        left up to them, and not everybody in the group
    24        participated in the anti-McDonald's campaign."  That was
    25        page 7, line 60.  That would be day 273.
    26
    27        Jane Laporte said that there was no hierarchy in the group,
    28        that everyone had an equal say.  That was day 274, page 40,
    29        line 47.  She said that regarding comments about her
    30        attending pickets by Hackney and Islington Animal Rights,
    31        she had made it clear that she attended the London
    32        Greenpeace meetings with a view to reporting to the group
    33        on her own political activity.  Again, she made the point
    34        that it was a forum, a network, a way of sharing what was
    35        going on in London and that she was not, I think, there was
    36        -- I do not know.  But she was not expecting to get a pat
    37        on the back for, you know, reporting what she said.  She
    38        was not expecting any kind of recognition from the group.
    39        It was just a case of, effectively, like Mr. Bishop had
    40        agreed, it was like a newsletter, people reporting what had
    41        been going on in the past week and what was coming up in
    42        the next few weeks.  That was day 274, page 42, line 16.
    43        She also made the point that when she attended those other
    44        political events she was not doing it on behalf of the
    45        group or to represent the group.
    46
    47        There was my evidence on day 275 that London Greenpeace is
    48        an informal, open collective and that anybody can attend
    49        meetings.  That was on day 275, page 13, line 25, and also
    50        that it was up to the individual what level of 
    51        participation was appropriate.  I think that was reflected 
    52        in the notes and the evidence of the agents and also 
    53        explained why it was possible for some of the agents to
    54        attend the meetings regularly and do or say very little and
    55        yet not draw attention to themselves or be criticised for
    56        lack of involvement or commitment.  I think it should be
    57        noted that some of the spies actually noticed that some of
    58        the other spies did not say anything at the meetings.
    59
    60        There was also a reference -- I mean, this was not just in

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