Is Discrimination a Reason to Protect Freemason Identity in the British Police?
My last post Freemasons and the British Police Part 1: The Hillsborough Tragedy referenced a recent article by Vikram Dodd in the Guardian, talking with Steve White, former leader of the Police Federation about Freemason influence preventing reform.
Today, in a rebuttal of the claims made in this and other recent Guardian articles about Freemasons, David Staples, chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England said in a letter to the publication “The idea that reform within the Police Federation or anywhere else is being actively thwarted by an organised body of Freemasons is laughable and suggests an unbelievable element of will and influence from an organisation which is non-political, non-religious, values integrity and upholds the law.”
He also says, “It is a shame that Freemasons are now quite openly discriminated against and that too many of our members, therefore, feel the need to keep their membership to themselves.”
Today’s follow up article from Vikram Dodd.
White stepped down from his position this week, saying more radical reform was needed to regain trust and confidence against discrimination within the force.
Staples defends the Freemason code of secrecy on grounds of discrimination.
Whichever way you look at it, transparency within the police force where a conflict of interest may arise is a vital requirement for truth and justice. David Duckenfield (Freemason) and the 27 year fight for Hillsborough justice showed us that and I will shortly discuss further important examples in Freemasons and the British Police Part 2.
You're right, transparency should be synonymous with a fair and just police force here in the UK. If you start to go down the rabbit hole of Free Masonry it is a very scary fraternity and one which too many people pass off as harmless 'good old boy' clubs. I look forward to your next article.
Thanks for leaving an insightful comment! Next post in the next day or two.
The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. -JFK
Thank you for reminding me of those important words, so relevant to this post. Great comment!
So now they want people to feel sorry for them too. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that discrimination claim.
What, you don't feel sorry for those poor masons? ;)