Mark Kennedy (police officer)
Encyclopedia
Mark Kennedy (also known as Mark Stone and Flash) is a former Metropolitan Police
officer who, whilst attached to the police service's National Public Order Intelligence Unit
, infiltrated many protest groups between 2003 and 2010 before he was unmasked by political activists
as an undercover
policeman.
The case against six activists accused of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
collapsed following the revelation of Kennedy's activities as an undercover policeman.
Hello, Danny Chivers, who was one of the six successful defendants in the case, said Kennedy was not just an observer, but an agent provocateur
.
"We're not talking about someone sitting at the back of the meeting taking notes - he was in the thick of it."
In a taped conversation obtained by BBC Newsnight and broadcast on 10 January 2011 but made some weeks earlier, Kennedy told an activist he was "sorry" and "wanted to make amends". Kennedy admitted he had been a serving police officer at the time of the Ratcliffe arrests, but said he was not one now. He also told the activist "I hate myself so much I betrayed so many people...I owe it to a lot of good people to do something right for a change... I'm really sorry."
According to the Guardian, Kennedy was born in Camberwell, South London on 7 July 1969, joined the Met police around 1994 and served with them till March 2010. In February 2010, while still serving as a Police Officer, he set up Tokra Ltd, a private company at the same address as a security firm which works for the energy company E.ON
, the owners of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. Later in 2010 he set up Black Star High Access Ltd, based in east London.
On 15 January 2011 Kennedy told The Mail on Sunday
that he was not a rogue cop, and was in daily contact with his bosses: "My superiors knew where I was at all times – my BlackBerry was fitted with a tracking device – and they sanctioned every move I made. I didn’t sneeze without them knowing about it. I feel I’ve been hung out to dry." He also claimed that the police withheld from the defence covert recordings which would have shown that the defendants were not guilty.
German MP Andrej Hunko
raised questions in the German
Bundestag
concerning what the German authorities knew about Kennedy's activities amongst the Berlin
protest movement. Kennedy had been arrested in Berlin for attempted arson, but was never brought to trial. Hunko also asked: "How does the federal government justify the fact that [Mark Kennedy], as part of his operation in Germany, did not only initiate long-term meaningful friendships but also sexual relationships, clearly under false pretenses?". The Bundesregierung refused to answer any questions concerning PC Kennedy for operational reasons.
In a Channel 4
interview broadcast on 14 November 2011, Kennedy stated that, in the guise of an environmental activist, he was used by the police forces of 22 countries and that he was responsible for the closing down of the Youth House community centre
in Copenhagen
. He also stated that he was hired by German police between 2004 and 2009 and allegedly committed two crimes on their behalf, one of which was arson.
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
officer who, whilst attached to the police service's National Public Order Intelligence Unit
National Public Order Intelligence Unit
The National Public Order Intelligence Unit is a United Kingdom police intelligence unit set up in 1999 to track green activists and public demonstrations.-History:...
, infiltrated many protest groups between 2003 and 2010 before he was unmasked by political activists
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
as an undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
policeman.
The case against six activists accused of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is a coal-fired power station operated by E.ON UK at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, England. Commissioned in 1968 by the then Central Electricity Generating Board, the station has a capacity of 2,000 MW...
collapsed following the revelation of Kennedy's activities as an undercover policeman.
Hello, Danny Chivers, who was one of the six successful defendants in the case, said Kennedy was not just an observer, but an agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
.
"We're not talking about someone sitting at the back of the meeting taking notes - he was in the thick of it."
In a taped conversation obtained by BBC Newsnight and broadcast on 10 January 2011 but made some weeks earlier, Kennedy told an activist he was "sorry" and "wanted to make amends". Kennedy admitted he had been a serving police officer at the time of the Ratcliffe arrests, but said he was not one now. He also told the activist "I hate myself so much I betrayed so many people...I owe it to a lot of good people to do something right for a change... I'm really sorry."
According to the Guardian, Kennedy was born in Camberwell, South London on 7 July 1969, joined the Met police around 1994 and served with them till March 2010. In February 2010, while still serving as a Police Officer, he set up Tokra Ltd, a private company at the same address as a security firm which works for the energy company E.ON
E.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
, the owners of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. Later in 2010 he set up Black Star High Access Ltd, based in east London.
On 15 January 2011 Kennedy told The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
that he was not a rogue cop, and was in daily contact with his bosses: "My superiors knew where I was at all times – my BlackBerry was fitted with a tracking device – and they sanctioned every move I made. I didn’t sneeze without them knowing about it. I feel I’ve been hung out to dry." He also claimed that the police withheld from the defence covert recordings which would have shown that the defendants were not guilty.
German MP Andrej Hunko
Andrej Hunko
Andrej Konstantin Hunko is a German MP of The Left party for Aachen.-External links:*...
raised questions in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
concerning what the German authorities knew about Kennedy's activities amongst the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
protest movement. Kennedy had been arrested in Berlin for attempted arson, but was never brought to trial. Hunko also asked: "How does the federal government justify the fact that [Mark Kennedy], as part of his operation in Germany, did not only initiate long-term meaningful friendships but also sexual relationships, clearly under false pretenses?". The Bundesregierung refused to answer any questions concerning PC Kennedy for operational reasons.
In a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
interview broadcast on 14 November 2011, Kennedy stated that, in the guise of an environmental activist, he was used by the police forces of 22 countries and that he was responsible for the closing down of the Youth House community centre
Ungdomshuset
Ungdomshuset was the popular name of the building formally named Folkets Hus located on Jagtvej 69 in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, which functioned as an underground scene venue for music and rendezvous point for varying autonomen and leftist groups from 1982 until 2007 when—after prolonged conflict—it...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. He also stated that he was hired by German police between 2004 and 2009 and allegedly committed two crimes on their behalf, one of which was arson.