Police Surveillance [Zine 34]

Page 16

Operation Nomad ... I addition to action of the Stonehenge Festival, gathering were now being prevented by the Public Order Act 1986 [sect 39, the anti-traveller bit].16 The police had been mounting huge operations on the ground to deal with people approaching events. Starting with the database developed from their experience of Stonehenge matters, Operation Nomad was initiated. The police provided for the intensive monitoring of individuals and traveller encampments across all of the South West of England. I and many hundreds of other were searched, photographed and generally hassled. Latter in 1992, I was anonymously sent a copy of a document, marked ‘restricted’ and titled: `Operation Nomad Bulletin’. Operation Nomad was a surveillance and information gathering exercise looking into the activities of New Age Travellers and now `raves’ such as Castlemorton. In this document, officers are instructed to beware of my activities and that I photograph and tape record police operations.

At this time, I represented the welfare teams - Festival Welfare Services and the Travellers Aid Trust. We set these outfits up to provide health and welfare provision to help support those the state did nothing for. This support, together with my interest in

16


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.