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Coincidence or Grooming? Oscar Beard's chance to join MI5

Oscar Beard | 28.08.2006 01:18 | Indymedia | London | World

The whole idea, for anyone who has known me for any amount of time, is absurd. Yet, the very charismatic cameraman and regular annoyance of the boys in blue - yes, Oscar Beard has been sent an invite to join MI5 through a recruitment agency. Now this, for most, would not cause a second blink, and they would probably hit the delete button instantly, if it wasn't for the incident leading up to the job vacancy appearing in my inbox on 14 August, 2006.

Saturday 12 August, 2006, I followed the London crowd over to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to film the blockade by anarchists, peaceniks and sambistas.

All went well. Two gates were blockaded successfully, causing several hours of disruption to the base that was being used to ship bombs to Israel, which would then be used to annihilate those nasty Hizbullah terrorists, who all seemed to be hiding in densely populated areas of Beirut and using children as human shields, well, according to great journalistic masterpieces like The Sun and Daily Mail.

So, there we all were. Banging drums, making noise - the locals complained. Or at least that's what the police told us. First they banned the drummers from banging the big drums, because they were too loud. But when RoR demonstrated all the drums were just as loud, the police banned them all, leaving only two people playing a lamppost.

During all this a slim, young, blonde-haired woman came and sat next to me on the wall, as I rolled yet another cigarette. She quizzed me. Who was I? Who did I work for? Where was this lot from? They don't look like Swindon Stop the War, she said.

"And who are you?" I asked.

"Police," she smiled.

"Where's your uniform?"

"We don't wear them," she said. She explained she was part of a special unit that tracks and monitors protest groups. She goes out on demonstrations, observes the protestors, talks to who she can, gathers information and writes reports for her bosses. She admitted she liked the job because she got to meet all these nice and peaceful people.

"Who are your bosses?" I asked. "MI5?"

She didn't answer. Just smiled. She asked for my name. I showed her my press card. She then went on to admit she knew of me and her unit had seen many of my videos and reports on Indymedia and elsewhere. I asked how this possible as I used a different name in Indymedia.

She grinned again. A nice grin. Almost innocent. You could see why she was picked for this job. Most could never imagine such a traditional good-looking young woman being a Narc.

"We know who you are," she said. Inside I felt an impending sense of doom, and realised the imminent death of Oscar Beard was around the corner. But I turned it round, refusing to be exposed like this.

"If you've seen so much of my work what do you think?" I asked.

"We like your stuff," she said. I wasn't sure whether I should take this as a compliment or not.

The undercover girl and her female counterpart left in a silver Vauxhall hatchback. I returned to London, burned and grilled.

Two days later, Monday 14 August, I opened my inbox to find a message sent at 11.31am. Use your language skills with MI5, it said. (See photo)

The job vacancy had come through the Total Jobs recruitment agency. It was not unusual for my inbox to receive job offers from them, but what was different this time the email was titled directly to me, rather than to "client" or "subscriber". My name was at the top of the email.

The job, English Language Transcriber, was to listen to recordings of "legal" wire taps and extract vital information, a position putting me on the "front line" of intelligence. 18 to £25,000 a year. Good money for being on the front line, behind a desk. Listening to people going blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blast!

The recruitment, including vetting - that's where all your family, friends and associates get a little visit from MI5 officers to check you, and them, out, and see who you've been hanging with, whether you are a good and loyal British citizen, whether you have been bad or good - that was going to take six months. Plenty of time to investigate you. So, no more crafty doobies with your mates.

"Discretion is a serious part of working for MI5," it said. Discretion. Shut up. So, what else could I do but write about it and put it out wherever I could.

The initial response was fear and panic. Then the idea of applying was toyed with for several days. It would make one hell of an article. The day Oscar Beard applied for MI5, only to reject them at the end - write an article and make some cash from the story to fund my usual lifestyle of sticking my nose in where it is not wanted. Hell, they would not have to research me hard. Someone else in the opposite side of the MI5 building probably already had everything on me on their hard drive, at that very moment.

Sure, the idea of being investigated sounded exciting, waiting for that final visit, when two men in black enter my tiny North London flat with my dossier. What would they think of the newspaper clippings pinned to notice boards and stuck to walls? Or the crude drawings and photos of Bob Geldof with a halo scrawled round his head and the word "WANKER" violently scribbled next to him? What would they think of my music collection of Dead Kennedys, Crass, Bing Crosby and Columbine killer's Marilyn Manson?

Well, Mr Beard, it seems you've been hanging with the wrong sorts. Peace activists, anarchists, anti-capitalists, rogue photojournalists, samba drummers. How does it sound if you become our double agent? You carry on with your usual life. We pay you, the only difference being you report back to us.

And then reject the offer, blankly and bluntly. No way, Jose.

But the idea collapsed quickly. Me, being investigated by the secret service. Jesus, they would have a heyday. They would probably find something I had forgotten about and use it to blackmail me into becoming a Narc.

As word got around though, phone calls came in from a select of concerned friends. Are you really thinking of applying for MI5? Do you think that's wise?

The idea was good while it lasted, but was dropped quickly. One of those spontaneous ideas, whose novelty lasts all of five minutes. But, is there concern here? For myself? And others like me? And if so how many applied? So, is this just a coincidence of events, that transpired in less than 48-hours? Or was there some connection here? One way to find out is to post this article out and wait for any repercussions.

I have since been asked, would I take a job with MI5? If I were blackmailed, what would I do? Simple. Serve time. Or go to an early grave. A good-looking corpse.

am not a religious man, nor spiritual - although some strange things do indeed to happen to me - but joining the Watchers, or the police for that matter, I optimise that with going to bed with the devil - signing over your soul, if you like.

As William Burroughs once said, there are no honourable bargains with dealing with quality merchandise like souls.

No, for this journalist, and professional pain-in-the-neck, no, it's business as usual. Between three jobs, little sleep, and watching and studying the global events and how they transpire from all I can remember from these past 19-years, since I got involved in this dirty game of not agreeing, I keep watching and digging. And every now and again it gets out just that bit further. And it usually pisses someone off, somewhere. But the more it goes on and the more incidents occur - from riot shields to kicks in the knee, to being known by name by the FIT team, all the way to the top - the more I realise I must be doing something right.

Oscar Beard
- e-mail: oscarbeard@yahoo.com.mx
- Homepage: http://www.reprogrammingthedesensitised.com

Additions

Pic

28.08.2006 01:33

MI5 application
MI5 application

The original email sent.

Oscar Beard
mail e-mail: oscarbeard@yahoo.com.mx
- Homepage: http://www.reprogrammingthedesensitised.com


Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

they must be getting desperate if they went after u

28.08.2006 05:52

just kidding! got any footage of the narc?

darkside


Cheeky Bugger

28.08.2006 13:52

I've still not checked the BN footage yet, as I'm backlogged with a ton of footage to edit and produce some short reports and films, but I'm pretty certain I got a shot of the woman and her colleague. Will see as I get through all this footage.

You damn activists have to slow down a little, I can't keep up, man.

Oscar Beard
mail e-mail: oscarbeard@yahoo.com.mx
- Homepage: http://www.reprogrammingthedesensitised.com


pics

28.08.2006 15:51


posting an image of that woman would be fantastic!!

sean


“Either you are with me or against me.”

28.08.2006 16:46

Exhibit 101
Exhibit 101

The tactics of the inquisition, eh?

The real inquisition died out in the 19th century, why?

Free and open societies win, snitch-controlled societies die.

Why?

'Establishments' have to move on, accept ideas and evolve. This is not possible if thought (speech) is controlled and only 'yes-persons' enter the hallowed portals of the 'establishment'. There is no way under such circumstances for the better ideas to be picked up by the 'establishment', hence it becomes irrelevant, and a 'barbarian' culture can knock it over, just like that, when the 'establishment' has lost the plot, stifled innovation and overly invested in snitch/military solutions to the problem.
Today's problem is the wrong orthodoxy for the 'establishment' getting revealed for what it is - a sham built on sandy foundations.
Anyone in snitch-land (including the B.B.C.) is going to go down in history as a 'Good German', i.e. a un-person,and not part of the mythical 'brotherhood of man'. So whatever you do, don't think you can get away with joining the ranks of those doing everything they can to 'maintain order'. It is the wrong order to maintain, and at the heart of it is the Big Lie.
Today's Big Lie is 9/11 - the event that was supposed to 'disarm the arms-traders' on the opening day of the world's largest arms fair, right here, in London's Docklands. Despite examples of suicide 'in the name of progress' by Samson (Acts 16:29) and the Suffragettes (Derby Day, 1913) it was only conceivable on 9/11 that sub-human 'terrorists' could have carried out the sabotaging of the Department of Defence (arms?) and World Trade Centre (trade?). Consequently, instead of revolution we ended up with endless war, cunningly acronymed ‘T.W.A.T’ (The War Against Terrorism)
Although people today are utterly duped into believing either a) 'devout al-qaeda-ology' or b) convenient conspiracy stories, the much hoped for future generations, one-step-removed from the hysteria, xenophobia and fear of the day, will make a more sober analysis and question what today is held up as true, i.e. the 'al-qaeda hoax'. They will learn who it was that told the world it was 'al-qaeda' and appreciate the vested interests. Of course this will be a no-brainer for them - it was 'aviation experts' that got to the studios first, and these 'aviation experts' worked for the company putting on the arms-trade fair. These P.R. men made no mention of threats made to 'disarm the arms-traders' that day, nobody in the MSM pulled up their 'vested interests' and World War 4 kicked off the next day, thanks to 'NATO' giving the go-ahead, evidence to be promised later.

It does not look like the revolution will be televised, but the same cannot be said for the trials of traitors, i.e. those snitching day and night to maintain the order of death and destruction enforced by 'al-qaeda-ology'. In time the genocide of Arabs in Afghanistan will be seen for what it is - a disgraceful attack on one of the poorest countries there is, and anything but a 'humanitarian intervention'.

Plea bargaining is possible for snitches, wherever they may be. All that is required is an outright public rejection of 'al-qaeda-ology', a daring to be Daniel, and the courage to grasp reality, before 'Judgement Day'.
There is an ‘or else’ to getting executed as a traitor, as per Nuremberg, and it is all quite fluffy. The deal sought on 11 September 2001 (by the greatest minds the anti-capitalist movement has ever had) was an abolition of the arms-trade, plain and simple. This sounds good to me, we would not have to have our ‘finest’ brains snitching, our wages would not have to be spent on Depleted Uranium munitions, we could travel without getting randomly blown up and every government could move away from the tyranny of the ever-corrupting arms-trade.

We are at a critical juncture in history, but if nobody is prepared to testify then this generation is to miss the opportunity. This opportunity is to today’s world what the abolition of slavery was to our forefathers, and what getting the vote was to our great-grandmothers. The motivation of the Disarm-DSEi ‘sky-jackers’ has parallels with Emily Davison (the Derby Day suicidee), to quote a hasty Google search:

"Emily Davison clung to her conviction that one great tragedy, the deliberate throwing into the breach of a human life, would put an end to the intolerable torture of women. And so she threw herself at the King’s horse, in full view of the King and Queen and a great multitude of their Majesties’ subjects."

(Women got the vote shortly thereafter, oh, and they made the munitions to kill their brothers in the Great War trenches…)

Incidentally, I believe that they (Disarm-DSEi) knew that the ‘West’ would attack the ‘Mujahadeen’ as a result of their actions. I also believe that ‘they’ (Disarm-DSEi) knew that the UK/USA snitch alliance would let them do the do just to get the war. To quote from an email posted by ‘Disarm-DSEi’ to promote the 11 September 2001 ‘Fiesta for Life Against Death’ on this very website, exactly five years ago to the day:

DSEi - Can Asians come out to play ?
by People are the only media 6:56pm Tue Aug 28 '01 Organic Jihad in the East End.

AT LAST - IT'S OFFICIAL

ASIANS CAN COME TO DSEi

It was thought at first that Asians were not needed at the Fiesta for Life. And the agitprop was prepared with that in mind.

Tower Hamlets has a large Bengali poulation. Distributing flyers containing images of Asians was considered and rejected.

As Islam represented the most vital oppositional culture to capitalism in the 80's and 90's - perhaps the only effective resistance in the Reagan/Thatcher years - and Bengalis already understood the effects of capitalism on the Global South , it was decided that they could take a well-earned rest and watch it on TV.

So the promotional material for the Fiesta was drawn up in such a way as to appeal mostly to the white abos, soap-dodgers and weekend zapatistas that constitute the usual anti-capitalist suspects post J18.

But we can now reveal that many local Asians (who form a vast potential 'Mujahedeen Against Capital') will attend on September the 11th.

It is, of course, an inspiring example of the power of the Anti-Capitalist movement that even those ignored by it will want to involve themselves in its struggle.

Our ideas are so much 'already in other peoples' heads' that we do not have to consider that the ways in which we mobilise resistance might exclude potential support.

Because 'we are winning' we can safely rely on a self-selecting core of protestors to dismantle capitalism.



There is nothing to fear but fear in itself, however, fear is quite powerful. For millennia birds have been scared of yellow stripes and fake spikes on Greedy Caterpillars, and it seems that other ‘animals’ fall for the similar ‘propaganda’ traps, albeit promulgated by ‘Goggleboxes’ and little red-top tabloids (in the case of homo-sap-iens). It is sad to see the demise of civilisation as we know it just because people are too scared to ‘get’ the 9/11 audacious intervention against the arms-trade. The Big Lie have always been expensive – ask the Good Germans or look into why the ‘ancient’ Greeks stopped progressing around 200 B.C. Those that fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to...

Winston Smith


more

28.08.2006 18:35



Good on you for braving it up and posting your story!! People speaking out about the insidious nature of the British spy-class is absolutely vital if we are to build a better, more sustainable future for all of us.

Spying on sambistas and other peaceful protestors is an absolutely disgusting affair which aims to intimidate people out of speaking the truth, bearing witness to government and corporate crime, and living our lives honestly. How can people seriously work such a treacherous and deceitful career? When they joined up, I bet they wanted to get the bad guys, not peaceful protestors! How can people sleep at night knowing they have been duped into helping the elites of this world consolidate their power?

The cutie you mentioned didn't tell you specifically who she was working for - perhaps it was the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit - NETCU - www-netcu-org-uk - their website says we need to get permission (in writing) to link to them, and so I've replaced dots with dashes to save indymedia any grief, but I'm sure you can check it out.

So, once again: well done for speaking out Oscar Beard.

much respect, xxx,

sean (again)


Re: NETCU

29.08.2006 09:03

official NETCU link banner
official NETCU link banner

This is the only approved image to use once received the proper stamped and dated authorisation certificate to link to them.

Apropos of nothing: "The NETCU Communications Officer can be contacted on 01480 425093 (office
hours) or 07740 734986 (out of office hours), or email  netcu@cambs.pnn.police.uk"

domestos extremity
mail e-mail: netcu@cambs.pnn.police.uk
- Homepage: http://www.netcu.org.uk/


well done

03.02.2007 12:44

"They would probably find something I had forgotten about and use it to blackmail me into becoming a Narc. "

Or they'd just make it up. Double agent is too fucking risky although probably less dangerous than the dodgy private firms with massive amounts of cash. Badge of honour you got approached though, no ones offered me squat. Guess I don't do enough or know enough to justify turning but I hope they do monitor me and my bullshit as it'll draw some heat away from those of you good folks. The only ubnbelievable thing about your article is the Bing Crosby.

Is that all they earn ? Fuck, you get more cash being a manager of a supermarket, they must think it's sexy, Ian Fleming has a lot to answer for. I met two young male British spooks in Amsterdam years ago, got them talking when they were drunk and stoned and trying to flirt with my girlfriend, they were all 'we could tell you but we'd have to kill you' and then blabbing anyway. They worked for Elsevier monitoring the net and got paid a lot more than that. Don't know why British agents worked for a foriegn firm or if the firm knew.

I worked for one foreign institution that employed British spies but they knew for sure, and would introduce them as such presumably to keep their employees on their toes. They were super-high security, they monitored your shit and piss in the toilets for drugs, would break into your flat while you were at work, none of the workers seemed to mind as the pay was unbelievable and they were pretty upfront about monitoring you. A few months of not being to pick my nose without it being recorded was enough and I quit.

Met an Irish spy in Dublin too, he worked for the British Embassy, he was quite nice. He claimed to be following me to see if I was a spy. I wasn't the least bit active at the time so I got him to buy me a pint and watched the football with him - fuck, I guess I was bought off cheaply. He was complaining about how the new american software they had to monitor phone calls didn't work in Eire as it got triggered by the word 'craic' all the time. Maybe a bullshitter but he had believable id and stuff.

I was passing by a Wombles meeting in Edinburgh pre-G8, never went in but just walking up to the door to have a look at the banner two young skateboarders came whizzing up close. They had all the gear and looked the part but they couldn't skateboard for toffee and weren't mingling with the other skateboarders. Walked away as I wasn't intending going in, but watched them for a bit from a distance, and they did the same to everyone who went in. I assume they were just cops though, or Wombles for all I know.

My impression is there are more agents than activists, feels like living in East Germany but with computers. Out of interest, anyone know where the new MI office in Glasgow is ?

dp


Polly

03.02.2007 18:21

"During all this a slim, young, blonde-haired woman came and sat next to me on the wall, as I rolled yet another cigarette. She quizzed me. Who was I? Who did I work for? Where was this lot from?"

This sounds like our friend Polly from MOD Special Branch. She tends to turn up wearing a "Freedom for Tibet" T-Shirt. Still not got a picture of her. She has turned up at Mildenhall Peace Camp, Lakenheath demos, Aldermaston and Stop the War Demos in London.
Last time we saw her she was offering us an 'informal chat' after we had come out of the interview with CID.

I think she looks through Indymedia a lot as well.

plunk
mail e-mail: lakenheath8@hushmail.com


Glasgow

04.02.2007 21:35

 http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=70502005
The final site of the Glasgow office is uncertain, but Pacific Quay, home to the Scottish Criminal Records Office, sometimes hosts seconded MI5 agents.

 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1101/0007430.pdf
SCOTTISH CRIMINAL RECORD OFFICE
REPORT TO MEMBERS
CPS PROGRAMME BOARD –
2 NOVEMBER 2004

Scottish Intelligence Database (SID)
In preparation for the disbandment of the National Project Team at the end of 2004, a migration plan to transfer full management and oversight responsibilities to SCRO is in the course of preparation. The paper, which is being compiled by Detective Superintendent McCandlish, SID Project Manager, will identify resource implications as a result of the transfer. Further information will be given to members as soon as it becomes available

Review of Security Services
Review completed – contract awarded to Group 4 Total Security (previously held by Chubb Security Personnel) with effect from 2 August 2004

Automatic Number Plate Recognition System (ANPR)
Work is ongoing on the preparation of an evaluation report on the resourcing requirements to enable the full management and oversight of the ANPR database to be undertaken by SCRO


 http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1415694,00.html
As Bichard noted, there is a national intelligence system already up and running north of the border. Not only is the £8m Scottish Intelligence Database (SID) used in all eight local forces and the Scottish Drug Enforce ment Agency, in the next six months it will be linked to other groups including the Transport Police and Immigration and Prison Services. It is also being integrated with Scotland's automatic numberplate recognition system and the UK-wide violent and sex offender database. The key to SID's success lies in such standardised working practices. "The most important thing was setting a common data standard so the value of the intelligence is the same irrespective of what force it emanates from," said Ian McCandlish, Strathclyde detective superintendent and SID project manager. Unfortunately, what works for eight Scottish forces cannot simply be extended to cover the 43 forces to the south. There is no doubt that Bichard's recommendations are being taken seriously, but whether uniform working practices can be achieved remains to be seen.


 http://www.accontrols.co.uk/solutions/anpr.html
Applications for our Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems include:
* Car Parks - Automatic fee payment by numberplate for regular customers as well as increasing security, reducing parking fee avoidance.
* Police - tracking vehicles used in crime, without MOTs, drivers without a licence or insurance.
* Retail, Wholesale and distribution - Tracking Deliveries, preventing unauthorised entry, car park mangement and visitor frequency mapping.
* Petrol Stations - By logging numberplates 'drive offs' can be detered and perpetrators traced.
* Defence installations and high security applications - Automatic Numberplate recognition provides an added security layer at a potential weak point.

squint


Google ad

05.02.2007 14:03

I was searching for a private plate for my car.M1 5HED says myshed when google ads pulled offers to join MI5.Whats this? i though.Then it dawned ,MI5 HED.

Reg


The ego has landed

09.02.2007 23:53

Wow. You really are some sort of ego maniac aren't you? Roughly 2,000 words about how you were "approached" by MI5 - and your deliberations thereafter - cos you got an ad forwarded to you by your recruitment agency. I hate to shatter your delusions but if MI5 were trying to recruit you I doubt they'd go through the junior admin asistant at ShitJobs.com or whomever you are registered with. And for the record, the same ad appeared in half the national press and was forwarded to at least two other people I know by recruitment agencies as well. It must be a slow news week if Indymedia are reduced to this drivel as news.

Spook
mail e-mail: spook@vauxhall.gov.uk


So what's wrong with the truth?

20.03.2007 11:22

To the not-so-ironically named Mr Spook,

If this happened why on earth should it not be reported? I happen to think it's pretty important how people working for positive social change are targeted for covert operations by our government. I can't understand why you would be so angry that Mr Beard is being honest about these experiences, especially in the face of intimidation tactics by our (?) government, or is there something else going on? Are there feelings of bitterness or loss at play?

Jacob Roseman

Jacob