Latest news from Jean Lambert, London's Green Party MEP

Public Service Europe article: Abattoir abuse shows need for CCTV monitoring

Jean Lambert — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Footage showing "systematic brutality" in British abattoirs shows the current system is not protecting animals - and more stringent monitoring is needed, argues Green MEP, Jean Lambert.

Pigs callously burnt with cigarettes. Cows and sheep routinely kicked and punched. Bleeding and seriously injured animals forced to drag themselves to slaughter. Such images are difficult enough to imagine, let alone witness. Yet these are very real scenes of grotesque cruelty and viciousness caught on covert camera by leading animal rights organisation, Animal Aid.

Since January 2009, hidden surveillance in nine randomly chosen abattoirs across Britain has uncovered systematic brutality in the slaughterhouse industry. The scenes described above were taken from just one abattoir. Footage taken from the other eight premises, including two so-called 'high welfare' plants accredited by the Soil Association, tell a similar, devastating story and reveal serious breaches of animal welfare laws.

For almost 20 years, European Union member states have been governed by legislation which stipulates that animals must be killed in a way that precludes unnecessary suffering, and spared from all avoidable pain both inside and outside the slaughterhouse. Yet, the Animal Aid recordings prove beyond any doubt that a number of British abattoirs are falling far short of the legally required standards of animal welfare - and it would be wrong to assume that this is just a British problem. A similar investigation into French abattoirs in 2009 revealed serious deficiencies in slaughter practice, resulting in prolonged suffering, and the European Commission's food and veterinary office has documented numerous incidents of horrific abuse across a number of EU countries.

It is fair to say that the current system is failing to protect Europe's animals. For example, under British law, Food Standards Agency vets are required in all slaughterhouses whenever animals are being stunned and killed - so why were these abhorrent incidents of animal abuse not detected and stopped? Tougher, more stringent monitoring is clearly needed to correct the apparently commonplace illegality and cruelty in EU slaughterhouses. Animal welfare is of the highest importance, and is it the responsibility of the industry and national governments to ensure that effective monitoring takes place and prosecutions are brought.

The mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in British slaughterhouses, as advocated by Animal Aid, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Compassion in World Farming, would be an effective and important tool to monitor abattoir practice as well as provide evidence of incidents of abuse. Not only would the introduction of cameras allow for the consistent monitoring of slaughterhouse employees, but it would also mean that any plant could be assessed at any time. The footage should also be made available to independent agencies, in the hope that this would encourage workers to adhere to welfare laws and reduce wanton cruelty.

The availability of CCTV footage could also be a crucial tool in the training of slaughterhouse employees, as well as vets and animal welfare representatives. Images of flagrant abuse could be used to reinforce the ethical implications of bad practice; indeed scenes uncovered by Animal Aid are already being used by Bristol University to train staff and vets. The retraining of existing industry staff could also be used to tackle incidents of rough handling and inefficient or inaccurate stunning.

The commission has indicated that the current EU regulation on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter does not preclude member states from requiring abattoirs to install cameras - meaning that national governments can take whatever steps they deem necessary to ensure slaughterhouses comply with the law. Pressure must now be placed upon national governments to bring forward the necessary legislation to make CCTV cameras a mandatory requirement without delay. The United Kingdom proclaims it follows high standards of animal welfare in its farming practices: we need to be sure this continues once animals have left the farm.

This article was published on Public Service Europe on the 2nd of February 2012: http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/1445/abattoir-abuse-shows-need-for-cctv-monitoring

Green MEP questions prosecution of conscientious objectors

Jean Lambert — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Following the news that a number of conscientious objectors have been convicted for failing to complete their 2011 census forms, Green MEP for London, Jean Lambert, has said:

"The Office of National Statistics is still waiting for over a million census returns, yet the Crown Prosecution Service is pushing ahead with plans to prosecute 400 people - a ten fold increase compared to 2001. Those who have been convicted to date include a number of conscientious objectors and long-term peace activisits, who have refused to fill out the form as protest at the involvement of defence contractor, Lockheed Martin {1}. The question that must now be asked is just what criteria did the CPS use in selecting these cases? Why is this particular group being punished for not completing their forms, when over a million other people did likewise?

"The CPS has an ethical and moral duty to be fair and consistent when upholding the law. It now falls to the CPS to prove that the selection process was honest and transparent, rather than a potentially discriminatory swipe at a group who felt forced into choosing between their consciences and breaking the law."

Notes to Editor

1. Lockheed Martin is the world's largest arms company, with military sales amounting to $30 billion.

Controversial anti-counterfeiting agreement must be dropped, Green MEP demands

Jean Lambert — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Green MEP for London, Jean Lambert, has reacted with dismay at the signing of a controversial agreement by the EU and 22 of its Member States which could potentially impinge the freedom of electronic communication and innovation worldwide.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement was created with the aim of establishing international standards on intellectual property rights enforcement, yet will deal with tools targeting internet distribution and information technology, meaning people could be prosecuted for merely sharing a link to a newspaper article or posting a video on YouTube.

The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament have criticised the decision to proceed with the signing, highlighting persistent concerns about the legality of the deal and its compatibility with EU provisions on fundamental rights [1]. The agreement will now be handed down for ratification by Member States and the European Parliament.

Commenting on the agreement, Jean, a member of the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee, said: "The Greens in the European Parliament remain absolutely committed to ensuring that this so-called ‘agreement' is not adopted at the expense of the rights of citizens - ACTA is a threat to our civil liberties and must be rejected. As the European Parliament and national parliaments now have their say as part of the ratification process, the Greens will push to ensure that ACTA is consigned to history."

Notes to Editor

1. Critics have raised serious doubts about the compatibility of ACTA with EU law, particularly provisions on fundamental rights. For example, ACTA encourages its signatory states to step up co-operation with private actors, such as internet providers, for intellectual property enforcement in the absence of any minimum standards for legal procedures. This opens the door to undermining the basic rights of individuals with no protection for those affected.

Experts have also pointed out that ACTA could undermine access to medicines, particularly in developing countries, which are more independent on generics but were not even part of the negotiations.

Green MEP to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Jean Lambert — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

London's Green MEP, Jean Lambert, will take part in a memorial event at Harmony Hall, Walthamstow, on Sunday 29th January to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to reflect on those murdered in more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

The event, hosted by Amnesty International Waltham Forest [1], will be held to observe Holocaust Memorial Day, the date marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. The aim of the day is to ensure that these horrendous crimes are neither forgotten nor repeated.

Jean, a member of the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee, said:

"Holocaust Memorial Day is the international day of the remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides. In commemoration of victims and in honouring survivors we must commit to tackling prejudice, discrimination, anti-semitism and racism in the present day wherever we can.

"Ethnic division and intolerance have continued to fuel violence and genocide in countries like Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda. Far from being free from such abhorrent bigotry, across Europe, millions of Roma are still facing pervasive discrimination and prejudice and hate crimes are all too frequent.

"It falls to every single one of us to help develop a community which is tolerant and inclusive, and in doing so, it's vital we take this time to remember the survivors of all such tragedies and those who go on suffering around the world. The lesson we must remember from the Holocaust is that we must never stand by and let hatred take root."

Notes to Editor

1. The event will take place at Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road, Walthamstow, E178QP from 3pm. The event will also be attended by Sandor Szoke, Hungarian Civil Movement, Ladislav Balaz, Roma Representative from Czech Republic, and Weyman Bennett, Unite Against Fascism.

EU has crucial role to play in Guantanamo closure, Green MEP states

Jean Lambert — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Green MEP for London, Jean Lambert, has called upon Europe to play its part in facilitating the closure of Guantanamo Bay by offering to resettle cleared prisoners at a special European Parliament film screening yesterday.

The documentary film, entitled 'Outside the Law', tells the story of Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, where over 170 men are still being held despite President Obama's pledge to close Guantanamo by 22nd January 2010. Focusing on the stories of three particular prisoners, Shaker Aamer, Binyam Mohamed and Omar Deghayes, the film explores how the Bush administration turned its back on international and national law by holding 'terrorism' suspects indefinitely without charge or trial.

Of the 171 men held at the camp, 89 have been cleared for release by the US Guantanamo Review Task Force, yet the absence of offers from other countries to help resettle detainees who fear torture of persecution if returned home have prevented them from finally being freed. Despite several EU Member States, such as the UK, Spain and Germany, showing an intitial willingness to resettle prisoners, progress has since been slow with only 26 men accepted across Europe.

Speaking at the screening, Jean said: "It remains a scar on the conscience of the international community that governments of democratic states have been so unwilling to assist the United States in helping to find alternative arrangements for detainees.

"The European Parliament is clear that Member States should aid the USA in the closure of Guantanamo by taking detainees cleared for release. With Guantanamo recently making the 10th anniversary of its opening, with no sign of when, if ever, it will close, it would be a powerful humanitarian gesture if European countries once more ageed to take cleared prisoners."

Notes to Editor

1. The film screening was attended by Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, and was co-hosted by London MEPs Jean Lambert and Sarah Ludford and Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes.

Statement: High Court ruling on solar Feed-in Tariff

Jean Lambert — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Green MEP for London, Jean Lambert, has issued the following statement on today's Court of Appeal judgement over the UK Government's plans to slash the solar Feed-in Tariff:

"I am delighted that the Court of Appeal has supported the High Court in deeming the Government's ill-judged and draconian cuts to the solar Feed-in Tariff unlawful. I hope that today's judgement represents a light at the end of the tunnel for the solar industry, and goes some way in providing stability to a thriving and innovative industry that just weeks ago was over shadowed by the prospect of mass job losses and an uncertain future.

"As we move forward from today's judgement, I urge the Government to drop any plans for further legal action and instead take positive action to put the industry on a more stable footing."

Notes to Editor

1. On the 8th November 2011, Jean tabled a Priority Question to the European Commission, calling for an investigation into whether the FiT cuts would weaken the UK's ability to meet legally binding EU targets on renewable energy: http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/news_detail.php?id=735

London's Green MEP demands mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in Britain's slaughterhouses

Jean Lambert — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Green MEP for London, Jean Lambert, has joined the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming in calling for the mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in abattoirs across the country, following the emergence of shocking footage revealing serious incidents of animal abuse.

Secret filming by leading animal rights organisation, Animal Aid, has uncovered systematic cruelty and brutality inside Britain's slaughterhouses. Images taken from just one Essex abattoir in April 2012 showed pigs being burnt with cigarettes, animals being punched in the face and seriously injured pigs forced to drag themselves to slaughter. Covert recordings from eight randomly chosen slaughterhouses tell a similar devestating story and reveal serious breaches of animal welfare laws.

Appalled by the findings of Animal Aid's investigation, Jean has written to the UK Agriculture and Food Minister, James Paice MP, to demand the installation of CCTV cameras in all UK slaughterhouses and for the footage to be made available to independent parties outside of the abattoir [1]. Jean also believes that there should be better training and retraining for slaughterhouse employees, including casual staff.

Jean said: "The shocking scenes uncovered by Animal Aid prove the current abattoir legislation is not being properly implemented. Animal welfare is of the highest importance, and it is the responsibility of the industry and of Government to ensure that effective monitoring takes place and prosecutions are bought."

Notes to Editor

1. Jean's letter reads as follows:

I write to urge the UK Government to introduce legislation to make installation of CCTV in UK slaugterhouses mandatory.

You will be aware that secret footage obtained by Animal Aid at 9 slaugterhouses revealed an 89 per cent failure rate and quite shocking abuse, as detailed in Animal Aid's reports and footage.

The footage reveals systematic failure of the current system. Whilst FSA vets are required to be on the premises, they are not necessarily present at point of slaughter. Indeed, in 240 hours of film taken throughout entire days in nine slaughterhouses, Animal Aid reported only having seen one vet once, checking three dead animals. They never witnessed a vet near live animals.

The FSA, RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming and the Soil Association all support installation of CCTV in slaughterhouses, seeing it as an important tool to monitor practice and provide evidence of abuses as prosecutions.

Regarding the EU regulation EC 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing, I understand that the Commission has indicated that this does not preclude Member States from requiring abattoirs to install CCTV cameras.

Legislation is clearly needed to correct the systematic failure of the current regime and the apparently endemic unacceptable levels of animal welfare abuse. Mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses has a vital part to play in addressing these failures, and I urge the Government to bring forward relevant legislation.

There is also a need for CCTV footage to be made available to relevant independent parties outside the abattoir, including welfare representatives, and for better independent training and retraining for slaughterhouse employees.

I look forward to your reply.

Green Social Europe: Thoughts on Social Policy from the European Greens

Jean Lambert — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This report was commissioned by the Greens in the European Parliament and offers an alternative vision for recovery from the global economic crisis that has gripped much of the international community, based on social investment rather than draconian austerity measures.

The booklet features articles from Green Members of the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee on subjects such as youth unemployment, minimum income schemes, homelessness and gender equality, and includes a foreword by Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London.

Download the booklet here .

Jean's speech at the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay protest

Jean Lambert — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Jean's speech on the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay, delivered during a special demonstration at Trafalgar Square on Saturday, 7th January 2012.

Thank you for the invitation to be here today, but no thanks to the US Government who make it necessary for us to be here again, calling for the closure of Guantanamo.

Every year I hope that this will be the last time we have to hold this event. I think we all felt particularly confident when Obama made his commitment to close Guantanamo in 2009. But I had not really understood the resistance there would be within Congress and Senate: how they had bought into the "exceptional situation" argument, after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, which seemed to mean that international and national law was not equipped to deal with crimes such as murder and conspiracy. I had not understood how willing Congress and Senate would be to accept the Bush Presidency's virtual rewriting of international Conventions on the conduct of war. Nor had I understood how Congress and Senate would prefer to see detainees kept outside the norms of justice in order to appease local fears concerning the transfer of detainees to Stateside detention facilities.

I believe we are also disappointed that the other Governments of democratic states have been so unwilling to assist the United States by helping to find alternative arrangements for detainees: those in need of humanitarian protection, those who cannot go back to their country of origin due to the situation there (many are from Yemen, for example) and not even those "cleared for release" years ago. None have been resettled since we stood protesting a year ago.

EU Member States have accepted only 26 men over the years: that includes those who already had connections with the EU country concerned, such as those now back in the UK who had international protection status here.

Of course, to our very deep sorrow and anger, we still have a missing London resident - Shakar Aahmer, cleared for release, still in Guantanamo.

The European Parliament is clear that Member States should assist the USA by taking detainees: we said this in 2009 and again in a resolution on anti-terrorism strategy in December last year. I am sure it will be said again at a meeting I am co-hosting later this month with Sara Ludford and our Portuguese colleague, Ana Gomes.

The EP's Civil Liberties Committee is also doing a report to follow up on the so-called CIA Flights report we published in 2007 and to look at what has happened and has yet to happen, in EU Member States implicated in the transfer, detention and maltreatment (including torture) of some detained in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the USA.

But there are other issues related to this country to which we should pay attention.

In the UK, we have also seen the creep of so-called exceptional measures being seen as "normal", not least the use of so-called "secret evidence", where those accused or detained cannot see the full evidence against them. This means that they cannot challenge the evidence, cannot instruct their Council properly so cannot obtain a fair hearing. There are currently 21 areas where such evidence may be used.

The Government consultation on the Green Paper on Justice and Security closed yesterday: we need to follow what comes from this - challenge any proposals which make it more difficult for individuals to have a fair trial and which stop evidence of wrong-doing by authorities coming to light. Some analysts have said that some of the proposed measures could be more restrictive than seen in Guantanamo, for the detainees there...

We need to stand up for the importance of Human Rights, even when it is "inconvenient" or "embarrassing" for the Government.

We have to resist "rebalancing", rewriting or stepping back from international Human Rights norms in the name of effectively combating terrorism.

We have to remember that the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy recognises that Human Rights compliance while countering terrorism is an indispensible part of a successful strategy to combat terrorism. Our Government and the American Government have signed up to this. The Strategy represents a clear affirmation by all UN Member States that effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting, but rather complementary and mutually reinforcing goals {1}.

There is another reason why Guantanamo is such a scar on the Human Rights reputation of the USA: it is completely counterproductive to the goals that the USA says it seeks to achieve.

Human Rights are universal, indivisible and cannot be compromised if we really want to tackle terrorism. That is why Human Rights must be upheld and Guantanamo closed.

1. The Strategy therefore identifies respect for human rights for all, and the rule of law, as one of its four pillars and as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism. In Pillar 1, the Strategy also recognises that compliance with human rights is necessary in order to address the long-term conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, which include the lack of rule or law and violations of human rights, national and religious discrimination, political exclusion, socio-economic marginalisation and lack of good governance. While making it clear that none of these conditions can excuse or justify terrorism, (Alex Conte: ICJ 28th September 2011)

Response to UK Government Consultation on Feed-in Tariffs for solar PV

Jean Lambert — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Jean has submitted the following submission to the UK Government's consultation on the solar Feed-in Tariff.

Jean believes that the new proposed tariffs for solar PV will dramatically undermine solar installation and have a devestating impact on job creation in the renewable sector, carbon savings and fuel poverty.

Download Jean's submission here.