Veterans minister Johnny Mercer and his wife appeared to call the police on Gulf War veterans protesting against him in Plymouth.
The day before the General Election, a group of veterans who say they are suffering from Gulf War Syndrome arrived in Plymouth Moor View with banners accusing Mr Mercer of betrayal, and calling on locals to vote him out of office. The group, called Justice 4 Veterans say they represent veterans, widows and children fighting for justice, who have been “blocked by Johnny Mercer”.
One video shows Mr Mercer saying to one of the protesters: “I just think this is really unnecessary. Has anyone ever done more for veterans than me?” The veteran replied: “You started off well, but took a turn.”
Meanwhile, Mr Mercer’s wife Felicity is shown in a separate video, apparently taken at the same time, calling the police on the small group, who were standing on a central reservation near a roundabout. She’s heard speaking on the phone, saying: “I’m standing on Derriford Roundabout, and I’ve got some people with banners saying “Johnny Judas Mercer” and “Johnny Mercer out.” I’d like some police sent down please.”
As she’s on the phone, she’s seen trying to remove one of the banners from the railing on the central reservation. When the protesters ask her to stop, she says: “This is not anyone’s property. Who the hell do you guys think you are?”
She goes on: “[Johnny] hasn’t done anything wrong.” “He has blanked us for four years,” one of the protesters replies. She says: “It’s not his responsibility, he cannot get Gulf War Syndrome…diagnosed for you. He’s not a medical doctor.”
The protester says Mr Mercer brought in a “new law” – the Overseas Operations Act, which he calls “Mercer’s Law” – which introduces a 6-year limit on bringing claims against the Ministry of Defence under the Human Rights Act. Ms Mercer goes on: “You can’t do this to someone. You can’t do this to someone. It’s disgusting, it’s disgusting.” She returns to the phone call and says: “Can you come down as soon as possible please?”
A further video shows Mr Mercer leaning against a railing, claiming to a police officer that there had been an “altercation” with a member of the public earlier, which the protesters denied. The officer tells them: “I’ve got no issue with your protest. I’ve only come here because there’s been reports of an altercation.”
Mr Mercer is then seen pointing at the banners, saying “This is obviously not lawful, they can’t attach that to street furniture.”
In another clip, Mr Mercer offers to work with the group to ensure their current legal action against the MoD isn’t blocked under the 6-year rule – if they end their protest and don’t “do this in Plymouth again.”
“I have nothing against you,” he says. “But you can’t come here and do this the day before the election. Look how upset my wife looks, right? Look how hard she’s worked for this. You guys aren’t even from Plymouth….I’ll speak to [the group’s lawyer] with you, and If I get in I’ll work with you, but you’ve got to stop this s**t and not do it again before the election,” he’s shown saying.
“I obviously can’t criticise government lawyers on social media because I’m a government minister. I can certainly put it to [the group’s lawyer]…I’m happy to work with [the government’s lawyer] afterwards to make sure they don’t use that clause. But you guys can’t do this again in Plymouth. That’s the deal.”
The group aren’t shown agreeing to the deal, but it’s understood they reached an agreement later. “I’ll always help you. I’ll always help veterans,” Mr Mercer says.
Research shows troops from only five countries – the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Denmark – of the 36-nation coalition opposing Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait suffered significant levels of illness. Around 17,000 UK personnel say they have suffered symptoms including chronic fatigue, PTSD, joint pain, headaches, mood swings and insomnia.
But the UK Government does not recognise Gulf War Syndrome as a medical condition – and deny a cocktail of medication given to personnel was to blame. The government says “UK Service personnel in the 1990/1991 Gulf Conflict may potentially have experienced a number of health challenges, including those from terrain; endemic infections; climate; and the threat of chemical and biological warfare agents. In addition, there was unprecedented media interest and speculation in relation to all aspects of the campaign, including health issues.
“We have always accepted that some 1990/1991 Gulf veterans have become ill and that this ill health may be related to their Gulf experience. Epidemiological research has shown that Gulf veterans report more illness than those who were not deployed to the Gulf, but the patterns of symptoms are similar to those experienced by personnel who did not deploy, and overall severity of the symptoms is not high.”