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Doreen Lawrence Tells Inquiry She Could Not Believe Claims Police Sought to Smear Her Family

The hearing is probing covert units accused of spying on justice campaigns.

Overview

  • Baroness Doreen Lawrence testified that she only wanted equal treatment from police and was shocked by claims officers sought material to discredit her family.
  • She said detectives assumed her family were criminals because they were black and failed to act on names of suspects provided by the community.
  • The Metropolitan Police denies instructing officers to smear the family, a task whistleblower Peter Francis says he was given in the 1990s.
  • The inquiry reviewed intelligence reports referencing the Lawrences' justice campaign, including notes on political groups and protest plans during the 1998 Macpherson hearings.
  • This phase of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, opened in October, is examining Special Demonstration Squad activity from 1993 to 2007 after earlier revelations of spying on bereaved families.