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“ Over the last several months, GBC has worked closely with XR to offer help, advice and training in “know your rights”, legal observing and back office support. We have reviewed XR materials and helped with questions from the XR legal team. We are no longer wiling to continue that work, for the following reasons: 

XR has provided its own training to legal observers which we believe to be inadequate and inconsistent.

We are concerned that inadequately trained legal observers could be worse than no legal observers.

It is important for legal and safety reasons that legal observers remain independent on actions and demonstrations they attend. The way in which XR has used LOs does not properly recognise the need for independence – they have been expected to act as XR stewards (often wearing insignia), relaying information from police to participants, or talking to the media, in contradiction to the established role.

Statements detailing conditions imposed on demonstrations by the police (section 14) were promoted in press releases and social media. This can put people at risk of prosecution as it creates an evidence trail that people who read these posts were aware of the conditions.

We believe that the way XR stores personal data is inadequately secure (for example, in google documents and forms). This means that personal data belonging to LOs is likely to be accessed by police.

We believe that the communication channels XR uses for legal observers are inadequately secure (for example, Whatsapp and Facebook messenger groups, public Facebook events and email lists with no bcc). This also means that communication through these channels is likely to be accessed by police.

We continue to identify misleading and inaccurate information in arrestee support and prison material published by XR, which means that people do not fully understand the risks that they are being asked to take.

Meg Webster

Moss bed, Queen 1986/ 2005