General Background
The NEC meeting on 20th July identified evidence of support for proscribed organisations (based on 2.1.4B) as follows:
…examples of “support” for any of the above organisations for purposes of Chapter 2, Clause I.4.B of the Labour Party Rule Book may include:
a. Membership of any of the four organisations;
b. Standing for election to the steering committee of the relevant organisation;
c. Participating in an all member’s meeting of the relevant organisation;
d. Participating in a working group of the relevant organisation;
e. Contributing written material to the website of the relevant organisation;
f. Donating to the relevant organisation;
g. Encouraging others to join the relevant organisation;
h. Participating in an event organised or hosted by the relevant organisation; ..
Cases made to Auto-exclude members
We have seen a number of accusations against members, and they include the following:
1.) We are aware that the Party is using screenshots of our “Fightback” meeting of March 2021 as a basis for auto exclusion of members who attended that meeting. The guidance “agreed” by NEC (above) included “attending an all members’ meeting” as indication of support for a prescribed organisation.
Your response could indicate that attendance at this meeting did not indicate support for LIEN, as the meeting was open to all and not just members. Furthermore, the meeting took place in March, four months before the NEC agreed on proscription, and you could not have been expected to know that the meeting was being held by a organisation that might be proscribed at some point – indeed, proscription is an action that does not exist in the rule book.
2.) We are also aware that comrades who attended the protest on 25ht June outside South West regional office have been accused that this was indicating support for LIEN, even though the protest was organised by members of CLPs in the South West.They are trying to apply criteria h. above.
Your response should say that the event was not organised by LIEN. The event was set up by members in Bristol North West CLP and other SW CLPs. You can provide confirmation of this if they would like it by contacting comrades in Bristol North West CLP.
Keeping safe
Comrades should consider joining Zoom sessions under a pseudonym and possibly turn their video off – if Zoom sessions cannot be made into webinars.
Potential Rule Changes
Should proscriptions come up at this year’s Labour Party conference, perhaps as a rule change, we will lobby delegates to vote against that.