The lawyer's son behind the student protests
The son of a leading human rights lawyer who specialises in defending protesters can be revealed as one of the main organisers of the anarchist groups accused of sparking the violent attack on Tory headquarters last week.
Mr Sielman-Parry called on his comrades to bring red and black anarchist flags them on the march Photo: CORBIS
The 22-year-old arranged for groups of radical students and workers from around the country to meet up at last week's march against Government increases in student fees, calling for "direct action".
History student Karl Sielman-Parry, who uses the alias "WorkersDreadnought", said a "workers and students' bloc" should band together rather than go along with the official National Union of Students' march.
He distributed a leaflet stamped with the anarchist "A" symbol calling for "Direct Action!, Occupation!, Strike".
Writing on a radical internet site on 3 November, Mr Sielman-Parry said: "We intend to be a visible anti-capitalist presence on the demonstration pointing out that it is capitalism that has caused the crisis, we need to reciprocate: meeting cuts with direct action – occupations, strikes and civil disobedience."
Mr Sielman-Parry's father is Richard Parry, a consultant solicitor at leading human rights firm BSB Law. Mr Parry was part of the defence team working on the 1987 PC Blakelock murder trial.
He has defended pro-drugs activists, protesters accused of disorder and rioting on May Day and several people claiming they were victims of police brutality during the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.
There is no suggestion Mr Sielman-Parry was involved in anything unlawful during Wednesday's demonstration, which saw protesters smash their way into the Tory Party headquarters on Millbank, near Westminster.
But many of the protesters involved in the violence carried anarchist banners which Mr Sielman-Parry had called on his comrades to bring with them on the march.
He wrote: "Bring red and black flags, banners and propaganda. The student and workers movement needs anarchist ideas and methods more than ever if we're to beat the cuts."
The revelations came as Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, cancelled a planned visit to Oxford University on Wednesday (Nov 17).
It had been feared he would be greeted by thousands of students protesting against his party's U-turn on increasing tuition fees.
At the same time the rebellion within the Liberal Democrat party over the rise in fees received a boost yesterday when members elected an avowed opponent of the Coalition's policy as their new president.
Tim Farron promised to ensure the party's "distinctive and radical voice" is heard.
Mr Sielman-Parry had been urging his fellow radicals to take part in the March since the end of October.
On 26 October he wrote: "Yeah this is gona be a big one. I think SF [Solidarity Federation] and AF [Anarchist Federation] are meant to be calling for a radical/militant education workers/student/wotever u want to call it bloc.
"There was also some discussion ... about producing a leaflet for distribution on the demo ... dont know whats come of that though. Either way we should spread the call out far and wide."
Mr Sielman-Parry, who also uses the alias "Karl Sacco-Vanzetti", after two Italian anarchists executed for murder in America in 1927, used the internet to contact anarchists based at universities around the country encouraging them to travel to London and join him on the march.
A Sunday Telegraph investigation traced him after he used his real name to register the anarchist Autonomous Group with the student union at Queen Mary College, University of London, in Mile End, east London, where he was recently awarded a first for his dissertation on The Angry Brigade, a militant group responsible for a series of bomb attacks in Britain in the 1970s.
Mr Sielman-Parry is president of the group and is also one of the administrators of the Autonomous Students Network (ASN), which links anarchists based at universities across the country.
The ASN uses a page on the social networking site Facebook to organise events and links it to a blog which, following last week's demonstration, posted advice for those "scapegoated" for the violence.
The advice says: "You have the right to silence. This means you have the right not to incriminate yourself. So we recommend you do NOT. SAY NOTHING TO NO-ONE ONLINE OR OFFLINE, ON THE PHONE OR IN PERSON about the events."
It adds: "The police will likely be using clothing and shoes to try and identify people from footage, as faces often dont show up very well on CCTV, and will be trying to make further arrests based on this evidence, so be careful anybody who was wearing identifiable clothing."
Mr Sielman-Parry, who lives with his mother Pauline Sielman in Leyton, East London, started the Autonomous Group two years ago after asking fellow radicals for help on another website, libcom.org.
In his profile on the site he outlines his politics as: "Building and constructing the libertarian society to replace/overthrow the authoritarian one."
In March 2009 he wrote: "Me and a few friends are setting up a libertarian socialist society at Queen Mary College, and i was wondering if the various anarchist/libertarian left societies at universities up and down the country had already joined into some kind of union against the corrupt and compromised NUS."
He also asked about getting hold of anarchist flags. "guys i want a red and black flag!" he said.
"i have absolutely no diy skills. So where in london can i get one? Given time though actually i wouldnt mind learning some flag making skills so any pointers where i could learn would be good too cheers."
Days later, he added: "thanks for the help guys, im getting closer to my dream of my own flag!"
Mr Sielman-Parry refused to comment yesterday, saying only: "I'm not going to say anything because I don't want my words twisted or taken out of context."
Asked if he used the pseudonyms Karl Sacco-Vanzetti and Workers Dreadnought he smiled and refused to comment.
Mr Parry said: "I'm proud of my son's involvement in setting up the Autonomous Students Network. He is an intelligent young man who thinks about social problems deeply. We share common interests but he has developed these himself and I'm fully supportive of him."
Cambridge student Luke Hawksbee, a fellow administrator of the ASN, defended the occupation of Millbank Tower, claiming it was "a spontaneous outburst of frustration" at planned increases in tuition fees and swingeing public spending cuts.
Although Mr Hawksbee, 21, a philosophy undergraduate at King's College Cambridge, said the day's violence was "regrettable", he defended the right of the protesters to take direct action.
"Everyone I talk to thinks the throwing of the fire extinguisher was stupid. In fact the students below were chanting 'stop throwing things'. But I understand people's anger at what the Coalition are doing," he said.
He denied anarchist groups had pre-planned the invasion of the Conservative Party headquarters, which resulted in tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
"There was no specific plan about occupying places like that. It was only a general call for action in the broadest sense. What happened in the end was that thousands of students decided themselves to enter the building as they marched past it after leaving Parliament Square."
Mr Hawksbee, from Harlow, Essex, is described by fellow students as a "very good public speaker and experienced activist". However his attempt earlier this year to win election as Cambridge University Student Union (CUSU) co-ordinator failed, even though he was unopposed, when a majority of students who voted opted to reopen nominations in the race.
An activist who before the Millbank demonstration had urged protesters to "fight", said Wednesday's protest was a symbolic moment.
Jimmi O'Brien, a history student at De Montford University, in Leicester, said: "This isn't just about the Coalition cuts. It's about the whole capitalist system. We're fed up with it all. This issue has been rumbling on for 20 years and nothing's been done about it."
Following the protest Mr O'Brien changed his Facebook profile to display a photograph from the protest of a hooded activist kicking in a window at Millbank Tower.
He had earlier responded to a message posted on an anarchist website encouraging students to join the protest.
He wrote: "De Montfort University Autonomous will be there showing the nice polite students how to protest! F*** '68, lets [sic] fight now.!!!"
But he denied the violence had been masterminded in advance.
"This is happening spontaneously," he said.
Another ASN administrator is an officer at the NUS, which has publicly condemned the violence.
Alan Bailey, a homosexual activist and student at the University of Salford, is one of two elected NUS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered officials for the current academic year.
* Additional reporting by Michael Howie and Alastair Jamieson
Mr Sielman-Parry's father is Richard Parry, a consultant solicitor at leading human rights firm BSB Law. Mr Parry was part of the defence team working on the 1987 PC Blakelock murder trial.
He has defended pro-drugs activists, protesters accused of disorder and rioting on May Day and several people claiming they were victims of police brutality during the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.
There is no suggestion Mr Sielman-Parry was involved in anything unlawful during Wednesday's demonstration, which saw protesters smash their way into the Tory Party headquarters on Millbank, near Westminster.
But many of the protesters involved in the violence carried anarchist banners which Mr Sielman-Parry had called on his comrades to bring with them on the march.
He wrote: "Bring red and black flags, banners and propaganda. The student and workers movement needs anarchist ideas and methods more than ever if we're to beat the cuts."
The revelations came as Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, cancelled a planned visit to Oxford University on Wednesday (Nov 17).
It had been feared he would be greeted by thousands of students protesting against his party's U-turn on increasing tuition fees.
At the same time the rebellion within the Liberal Democrat party over the rise in fees received a boost yesterday when members elected an avowed opponent of the Coalition's policy as their new president.
Tim Farron promised to ensure the party's "distinctive and radical voice" is heard.
Mr Sielman-Parry had been urging his fellow radicals to take part in the March since the end of October.
On 26 October he wrote: "Yeah this is gona be a big one. I think SF [Solidarity Federation] and AF [Anarchist Federation] are meant to be calling for a radical/militant education workers/student/wotever u want to call it bloc.
"There was also some discussion ... about producing a leaflet for distribution on the demo ... dont know whats come of that though. Either way we should spread the call out far and wide."
Mr Sielman-Parry, who also uses the alias "Karl Sacco-Vanzetti", after two Italian anarchists executed for murder in America in 1927, used the internet to contact anarchists based at universities around the country encouraging them to travel to London and join him on the march.
A Sunday Telegraph investigation traced him after he used his real name to register the anarchist Autonomous Group with the student union at Queen Mary College, University of London, in Mile End, east London, where he was recently awarded a first for his dissertation on The Angry Brigade, a militant group responsible for a series of bomb attacks in Britain in the 1970s.
Mr Sielman-Parry is president of the group and is also one of the administrators of the Autonomous Students Network (ASN), which links anarchists based at universities across the country.
The ASN uses a page on the social networking site Facebook to organise events and links it to a blog which, following last week's demonstration, posted advice for those "scapegoated" for the violence.
The advice says: "You have the right to silence. This means you have the right not to incriminate yourself. So we recommend you do NOT. SAY NOTHING TO NO-ONE ONLINE OR OFFLINE, ON THE PHONE OR IN PERSON about the events."
It adds: "The police will likely be using clothing and shoes to try and identify people from footage, as faces often dont show up very well on CCTV, and will be trying to make further arrests based on this evidence, so be careful anybody who was wearing identifiable clothing."
Mr Sielman-Parry, who lives with his mother Pauline Sielman in Leyton, East London, started the Autonomous Group two years ago after asking fellow radicals for help on another website, libcom.org.
In his profile on the site he outlines his politics as: "Building and constructing the libertarian society to replace/overthrow the authoritarian one."
In March 2009 he wrote: "Me and a few friends are setting up a libertarian socialist society at Queen Mary College, and i was wondering if the various anarchist/libertarian left societies at universities up and down the country had already joined into some kind of union against the corrupt and compromised NUS."
He also asked about getting hold of anarchist flags. "guys i want a red and black flag!" he said.
"i have absolutely no diy skills. So where in london can i get one? Given time though actually i wouldnt mind learning some flag making skills so any pointers where i could learn would be good too cheers."
Days later, he added: "thanks for the help guys, im getting closer to my dream of my own flag!"
Mr Sielman-Parry refused to comment yesterday, saying only: "I'm not going to say anything because I don't want my words twisted or taken out of context."
Asked if he used the pseudonyms Karl Sacco-Vanzetti and Workers Dreadnought he smiled and refused to comment.
Mr Parry said: "I'm proud of my son's involvement in setting up the Autonomous Students Network. He is an intelligent young man who thinks about social problems deeply. We share common interests but he has developed these himself and I'm fully supportive of him."
Cambridge student Luke Hawksbee, a fellow administrator of the ASN, defended the occupation of Millbank Tower, claiming it was "a spontaneous outburst of frustration" at planned increases in tuition fees and swingeing public spending cuts.
Although Mr Hawksbee, 21, a philosophy undergraduate at King's College Cambridge, said the day's violence was "regrettable", he defended the right of the protesters to take direct action.
"Everyone I talk to thinks the throwing of the fire extinguisher was stupid. In fact the students below were chanting 'stop throwing things'. But I understand people's anger at what the Coalition are doing," he said.
He denied anarchist groups had pre-planned the invasion of the Conservative Party headquarters, which resulted in tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
"There was no specific plan about occupying places like that. It was only a general call for action in the broadest sense. What happened in the end was that thousands of students decided themselves to enter the building as they marched past it after leaving Parliament Square."
Mr Hawksbee, from Harlow, Essex, is described by fellow students as a "very good public speaker and experienced activist". However his attempt earlier this year to win election as Cambridge University Student Union (CUSU) co-ordinator failed, even though he was unopposed, when a majority of students who voted opted to reopen nominations in the race.
An activist who before the Millbank demonstration had urged protesters to "fight", said Wednesday's protest was a symbolic moment.
Jimmi O'Brien, a history student at De Montford University, in Leicester, said: "This isn't just about the Coalition cuts. It's about the whole capitalist system. We're fed up with it all. This issue has been rumbling on for 20 years and nothing's been done about it."
Following the protest Mr O'Brien changed his Facebook profile to display a photograph from the protest of a hooded activist kicking in a window at Millbank Tower.
He had earlier responded to a message posted on an anarchist website encouraging students to join the protest.
He wrote: "De Montfort University Autonomous will be there showing the nice polite students how to protest! F*** '68, lets [sic] fight now.!!!"
But he denied the violence had been masterminded in advance.
"This is happening spontaneously," he said.
Another ASN administrator is an officer at the NUS, which has publicly condemned the violence.
Alan Bailey, a homosexual activist and student at the University of Salford, is one of two elected NUS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered officials for the current academic year.
* Additional reporting by Michael Howie and Alastair Jamieson
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