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Unite calls for ‘no stone’ to be left unturned as Spycop's true identity revealed

UNITE has welcomed what it called the “unmasking” of former spycop “Carlo Neri” whose real name is now alleged to be Carlo Soracchi.

Britain’s largest trade union made the statement after former BBC journalist Michael Gillard broke the news on Twitter earlier this week.

So-called Carlo Neri spent five years as an undercover police officer between 2001 and 2006 infiltrating anti-fascist groups, unions and the Socialist Party.

He posed as a locksmith to gain unfettered access to targets’ homes and had sexual relationships with at least three women while undercover, Unite said today.

The union said the revelation comes despite efforts by the chairman of the spycops inquiry, Sir John Mitting, to protect the real names of secret police, which has angered victims.

Unite is a core participant to the inquiry and hopes it will shed light on the surveillance of trade unionists by special branch.

The union’s assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: “The final unmasking of Carlo Neri as Carlo Soracchi is an important but small step in uncovering the full truth behind this shocking scandal. No stone should be left unturned.

“Carlo Soracchi formed relationships with at least three unsuspecting women while he was undercover at the same time he was married with children. His actions waive his right to anonymity.

“It is essential that all the members of the SDS [Special Demonstration Squad] involved in undercover policing at the very least have cover names published so that the true scale of their actions can be discovered and that activists, including those who might have been tricked into relationships with them while they were undercover, can finally learn the truth.”

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett added: “Everyone who was spied on by the SDS deserves to know the truth and to see their special branch files.

“Much of the information in these files is at best distorted and in many cases has been used to ruin people’s lives.

“For example there has been found to be clear links between the blacklisting scandal and the police.

“If the inquiry is to be considered credible then the government needs to step in and ensure improvements.

“It is currently not even examining the actions of spycops in Scotland, while the reliance on redacted documents and the number of key witnesses being allowed anonymity risks turning the entire process into a whitewash.”

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