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Photos -copyright free- from protest available here: LINK

Pressure grows on Prime Minister to greenlight Leveson 2 and section 40

*Victims of press abuse join call to demand promised corruption probe goes ahead*

Victims of press abuse joined Avaaz members and Hacked Off supporters in Westminster on Monday to call for the government to keep its promise for the second part of the Leveson Inquiry to go ahead, and to commence section 40 without delay.

Campaigners dressed as Theresa May and Rupert Murdoch shredded papers marked ‘Corruption Evidence’ and ‘Hacking Evidence’ outside the Department for Culture Media and Sport in protest at the prospect of May dropping the promised second part of the inquiry, which will focus on corruption between journalists, politicians and the police, and corporate mismanagement at News International.

They were joined by victims of phone hacking protesting with banners, whistles and a huge stack of 52,000 pages of Leveson evidence which was delivered to the Department along with a letter calling for the Government to stop interfering in press regulation and commence section 40 immediately. explaining why Leveson 2 should go ahead (see copy of letter below).

Alex Wilks, Campaign Director at Avaaz said: “If Theresa May helps Rupert Murdoch bury his dirty secrets by cancelling Leveson 2, she will also be digging the grave of public trust in her government. People across the country are clear that a promise is a promise, and this crucial investigation into press corruption is May’s chance to show how she is challenging vested interests”.

Dr Evan Harris, Joint Executive Director at Hacked Off, said : “The need for Leveson Part Two has never been stronger, especially in the light of the leadership of News International as it was now plotting the takeover of Sky. The Government has no excuse not to go through with Leveson Two immediately.”

A government consultation on whether Leveson 2 should go ahead and whether section 40 is commenced ends tomorrow, and the government is widely thought to be planning to drop the probe, and to renege on implementing the Leveson victim protection system (section 40), after heavy lobbying by the Murdoch media and other companies.

Over 60,000 Brits have already signed an Avaaz petition calling on the government to proceed with Leveson 2 and prevent Murdoch taking control of Sky TV, and more than 15 000 Avaaz members have submitted comments to the government consultation calling for the investigation to go ahead.

Avaaz spokespeople are available for interview.

Contact: Avaaz Julie Deruy (in Paris), on +33676477259 or julie@avaaz.org;

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The letter :

Dear Secretary of State,

As you know, during 2011 and 2012 Justice Leveson carried out a public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press. As part of that process victims of press abuse described their experiences, alongside the testimony of numerous industry representatives.

It was agreed that only a public inquiry was appropriate for settling matters of press regulation.

Among other reasons, this was because:

A judge would not be subject to the same conflicting and corrupting pressures which politicians are consistently subject to by the power of the press.
A range of witnesses could be called, allowed to give evidence in a forum appropriate and suitable to them, that anyone with something useful to add could have their views and experience considered, and that where witnesses provided responses which demanded further questions, these could be asked and evidence examined.
There would be no great time or expenditure pressure, meaning qualified experts could sit on the panel and handle the questioning and process of the Inquiry, and the Inquiry could consider evidence from all sides of the debate in exhaustive detail.
Only a Public Inquiry forum had the confidence of the victims of press abuse.

Leveson’s consequent report ran to more than 2000 pages. It considered every testimony and set out recommendations transparently, with every argument of merit set out and considered in detail.

The Government enacted many of those recommendations on a cross-party basis, and from then on should have kept themselves out of the process of press regulation altogether to protect the freedom of the press from Government interference, or the threat of it.

But like previous Governments, this Government, perhaps sensing some leverage and power over the press, made the craven decision to intervene to suspend section 40 commencement.

Because the press didn’t like the answer the first time, the Government has now opted to repeat the process of the Leveson Inquiry. But instead of an impendent judge, a Government minister subject to conflicting pressure from the press will preside over the results. Instead of an open and transparent forum, responses to the consultation are submitted secretly, will be considered in secret, and it is the Government’s discretion as to whether they are published at all. Instead of evidence being examined and further questions asked of witnesses, the press are invited to respond without any further scrutiny to their often fake and distorted claims.

Press abuse victims can have no confidence in this process. Many were forced to relive terrible traumas and tragedies in giving evidence at Leveson. This shameless attempt to force them through that process all over again, because the Government want to trade press regulation policy for more favourable treatment in the national press, is unacceptable.

If the Secretary of State wishes to rerun the Leveson process which recommended section 40, she ought to consider the thousands of pages of evidence which Leveson considered – the only forum which victims had confidence in – and his transparently settled recommendations. No approach less exhaustive or detailed would be satisfactory.

Please find enclosed the 52,000 pages of Leveson’s evidence.

Yours sincerely

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Julie Deruy

Campaigner | Chargée de campagnes

Paris, France

Powered by 44 million members in 194 countries, Avaaz gives global citizens the ability to speak. Check out more on www.avaaz.org

+336 76 47 72 59

Skype: julie.deruy

Photos from protest available here: LINK

Pressure grows on Prime Minister to greenlight Leveson 2

*Victims of press abuse join call to demand promised corruption probe goes ahead

Victims of press abuse joined Avaaz members and Hacked Off in Westminster on Monday to call for the government to keep its promise for the second part of the Leveson Inquiry to go ahead.

Campaigners dressed as Theresa May and Rupert Murdoch shredded papers marked ‘Corruption Evidence’ and ‘Hacking Evidence’ outside the Department for Culture Media and Sport in protest at the prospect of May dropping the promised inquiry, which will focus on corruption between journalists, politicians and the police, and corporate mismanagement at News International.

They were joined by victims of phone hacking protesting with banners, whistles and a huge stack of 52,000 pages of Leveson evidence which was delivered to the Department along with a letter explaining why Leveson 2 should go ahead (see copy of letter below).

A government consultation on whether Leveson 2 should go ahead ends tomorrow, and the government is widely thought to be planning to drop the probe, and to renege on implementing the Leveson victim protection system (section 40), after heavy lobbying by the Murdoch media and other companies.

Over 60,000 Brits have already signed an Avaaz petition calling on the government to proceed with Leveson 2 and prevent Murdoch taking control of Sky TV, and more than XXX have submitted comments to the government consultation calling for the investigation to go ahead.

Avaaz spokespeople are available for interview.

Contact: Avaaz Julie Deruy (in Paris), on +33676477259 or julie@avaaz.org;

letter

Leveson Inquiry 2 : Theresa May on the spotlight

**Day before consultation ends, protesters point out government’s responsibility on investigation**

Hacked Off and Avaaz campaigners called for the government to start the second part of the Leveson Inquiry into corruption between journalists, politicians and the police and corporate mismanagement at News International, and to implement a measure to protect victims of media abuse.

Gathered in front of the DCMS building, campaigner dressed as Theresa May linked arms with a campaigner dressed as Rupert Murdoch and shredded papers marked ‘Corruption Evidence’ and ‘Hacking Evidence’, symbolizing the government lack of responsibility.
Victims of phone hacking and other Murdoch media dirty tactics were protesting with banners, whistles and a huge stack of evidence papers. They personally deliver the 52,000 pages of evidence considered in the Leveson Report to the Culture Secretary. They have also written to the Culture Secretary (see below).

Alex Wilks, campaign director at Avaaz, said : “Dozens of thousands citizens expressed their deep concern about government tergiversation on this. Investigation needs to keep going as planned, not less, or Rupert Murdoch closet will keep fill up with skeletons.”

Alex Wilks, campaign director at Avaaz, said : : “Government’s decision on this consultation will send a strong signal to citizens : either they will keep doing the dirty laundry of Rupert Murdoch, or they’ll show hacking victims and other citizens that their interest matters and Leveson Part 2 will go on, as dozens of thousands asked.”

A government consultation on these issues ends on tomorrow, and the government is widely thought to be planning to cancel Leveson Part 2, and to renege on implementing the Leveson victim protection system (section 40), after heavy lobbying by the Murdoch media and other companies.

Over 60,000 citizens have already signed an Avaaz petition calling on the government to act on Leveson II and to take action to stop Murdoch taking over all of Sky TV, and many of them have also submitted comments to the government consultation.

Over XXX,000 citizens signed Hacked off petition XXXXX

XXX, Victims of hacking, said : “Lorem ipsum”

Avaaz spokespeople, Hacked Off spokespeople and hacking victims are available for interview.

Photos can be seen here

Contact: Avaaz Julie Deruy (in Paris), on +33676477259 or julie@avaaz.org;

Hacked Off, on nathan@hackinginquiry.org or 07883 533052

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