Support Pamela Fitzpatrick’s challenge to Labour’s abuse of power

Pamela Fitzpatrick was a long standing member of the Labour Party,  Labour Councillor for 8 years and was the Unite backed Parliamentary candidate in Harrow East in 2019. She has worked in the voluntary sector for over 30 years, set up a legal advice centre in Harrow in 2010 and has been an active trade Union member for 40 years. She is caught up in the injustice of Labours retrospectively applied disciplinary process.

In 2015 she was one of 4 people who set up Harrow for Corbyn.  From that point onwards she has been subjected to abuse and harassment, vexatious complaints and defamation.  Her family have also been targeted.

In 2018 one of the men responsible for her harassment was suspended from the party due to those allegations of harassment of Pamela and by numerous other people. In July 2021 Pamela was notified by the Governance and Legal Unit that the case against the man in question was to be heard by a panel. She was invited to give evidence to the panel as a victim. It had taken the party some 3 years to deal with issues of serious and sustained abuse

However, in August 2021 Pamela was told that she was now under investigation for being a member of Socialist Appeal. The sole reason given for this assertion was that she had given an interview to Socialist Appeal in May 2020 on why she was applying to be the General Secretary of the Labour Party. As a councillor, active trade unionist and Director of a legal advice centre Pamela has given interviews to numerous organisations.  The NEC had only proscribed Socialist Appeal in July 2021, at the same time that Pamela‘s complaint of harassment was due to be heard. This was nearly two years after Pamela had given the interview to Socialist Appeal. Pamela is not and never has been a member of socialist appeal and has told the party so. But nonetheless the Labour Party applied the rule retrospectively and expelled Pamela on 19th November 2021. The party took just 3 months to expel Pamela, in sharp contrast to 3 years it took to have a hearing about the abuse she was subjected to.

She was given no hearing and no knowledge as to who was on the panel, what the legal advice was or whether it was a unanimous decision.   She has now been waiting for an appeal hearing for almost a year  She has made subject access requests which have been ignored.  She has sent emails to the party asking for an update on her case but has received no reply or even acknowledgement.   Meanwhile the man accused of abusing and harassing Pamela and many others have been welcomed back into the party

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Pamela is but one of many who has been treated in this way.   Our goal is to ensure that there are genuinely fair and transparent disciplinary procedures in the Labour Party which cannot be used in a factional way nor as a tool to harass, bully and intimidate members. We are seeking an end to the growing use of defamation to smear members which most members do not have the resources to defend themselves against. No one in the Labour Party should be engaging in such practices with impunity.

What is the next step in the case? – At this first stage we are simply seeking an appeal hearing in Pamela’s case that is conducted in a fair, impartial and transparent way.  We will also be looking at all legal avenues to achieve our goal

How much we are raising and why? – Initially we need to raise £5000 to pay for legal advice and representation.

We know that times are hard for everyone. We are really grateful for any donation that can be made.