Join the challenge against COVID passes!

Dear friends,

This week has been packed with debate, demonstration and frustration as the Big Brother Watch team took to the streets of Manchester and Cardiff.

The Senedd Steal

If you haven’t heard the news already, Covid passes in Wales will now be mandatory after a Senedd vote mired in controversy ended with the motion being approved 28 to 27.

In dramatic scenes, the vote really did come down to the wire after one Conservative MS, Gareth Davies was unable to vote because of IT/technical issues he claims he was experiencing.

The Presiding Officer Elin Jones says she gave Davies every chance and even handed over her personal phone number for him to vote as an alternative.

There are many contradictions as to what happened on Tuesday. Gareth Davies needs to answer some serious questions and make it crystal clear what exactly happened.

After our tireless lobbying, it was an extraordinary success that all opposition parties were set to vote against the Welsh Government and on those numbers we should have won.

We were demonstrating outside the Senedd during the whole debate and a wave of frustration triggered validated scenes of discontent once the result had been announced.

This is not the end.

We are seeking urgent legal advice on how we can challenge these divisive and discriminatory measures that on paper should have been defeated.

Thank you to everyone who stood their ground, wrote to their MS and joined us in Cardiff.
 

Conservatives Against Covid IDs

On Monday our event Civil Liberties In a Crisis: Conservatives Against Covid Passes went ahead in Manchester opposite Conservative Party Conference.

We had speeches from David Davis MP, Sir Graham Brady MP and a passionate panel chaired by Julia Hartley Brewer.
 

“If the aim of the passports is to protect the patrons and party-goers at nightclubs, concerts and other large events then this policy fails on its own merits” - David Davis MP
 

‘Vaccine passports would lock in the powers that have shifted to the state from the citizen and make it something that would go on forever and that is something that we must resist with every sinew of our bodies’ – Sir Graham Brady MP
 

You can watch the whole event here.

Stay tuned for social media clips.
 

The Left Case Against Covid IDs

We also held an event during the Labour Party Conference, bringing together some of the leading voices from within the party.

With Freddie Sayers (UnHerd) chairing the event, we had contributions from Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Dawn Butler MP and Rebecca Long-Bailey.
 

“I object to Covid IDs on the basis that it normalises compulsory ID checks of the most intrusive kind” - Baroness Shami Chakrabarti
 

'A group of people just strolled in before us, no problem. We were told we needed to scan our QR code, but the group ahead of us were not asked that – and that is the thing we will create this two-tier society' – Dawn Butler MP
 

You can watch the whole event here.

Scottish Shambles
After Scotland rolled out its chaotic vaccine passport scheme last week businesses and events have been up in arms over its inefficiency.

Vaccine passports not only discriminate against the most vulnerable in society but reports are emerging of scams, queues and technology failures leading the First Minister to deliver a rare apology for the ‘deeply regrettable’ problems.

We are currently looking at ways to challenge Scotland's Vaccine passport scheme… Watch this space.
 

Covid Pass Consultation
A reminder that the Government has released another consultation on Covid passports. We've produced a handy guide to help you submit a #NoCovidID consultation response in just 2 minutes. Click here to view it. The deadline is this Monday (11th).

After travelling to Manchester and Cardiff, listening to the public and politicians it’s clear, resistance against vaccine passports is charged and growing.

As Scotland and Wales become papers-carrying nations, we need to carry on our proactive pressure to stop England and Northern Ireland from going down the same route. We know that they are in the Government's winter plan and the threat looms. This is not a done deal, if a vote goes to Parliament we can stop them. So let’s keep the pressure up, make our voices heard and boycott illogical Covid IDs.

Peace and solidarity,

Erlend Evans,
Digital Communications Manager