taken from smh

AS DANIEL JONES walked through Circular Quay and towards the ferry terminal 12 nights ago, someone called his name. Mr Jones, an outspoken 20-year-old student activist, turned to face a man he had never met. Smiling and wearing a blue bomber jacket, the man introduced himself simply as Ahmed.

Ahmed, with a beard and receding dark hair, said he was from intelligence at NSW Police and had an offer to make. He wanted the student to spy on his fellow activists before the APEC meeting in September. In return Ahmed implied he could help "make arrangements" about charges Mr Jones faces over his part in last year’s G20 protests in Melbourne.

The approach is the latest example of action taken by the authorities to monitor and minimise protest activity during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum meeting. The move has outraged activists, and comes after reports of increased police presence on campuses and allegations that ASIO is spying on student activists.

Mr Jones, an arts/science student at Sydney University, is one of five protesters from Sydney arrested and charged in March over the G20 protests.

Before meeting Ahmed, Mr Jones said he had been among about 30 protesters outside a hotel where the Prime Minister was speaking. He was walking to the ferry on his way home to Balmain East about 8.30pm when Ahmed approached.

"I asked him straight out what agency he was from," Mr Jones, a socialist, said yesterday. "He said he was from intelligence and I said what’s intelligence? He said NSW Police."

Ahmed then suggested they sit on a bench and talk. Mr Jones was dubious, but agreed.

"He had a killer manner about him and he knew a lot of stuff about different student groups. He was saying that police needed some help in the lead-up to APEC and of course they could help me. He said, ‘have you got charges against you? We can help with that’."

Mr Jones took this to mean that if he became an informant his G20 charges would be reduced or dropped.

At some point during the 20-minute meeting Ahmed showed his identification and a business card, but would not let Mr Jones keep the card.

Ahmed told Mr Jones that police wanted to know about any plans for violent protests by activists. Mr Jones told him: "No one I know is planning violent protests."

As Ahmed attempted to recruit his agent, he even briefly discussed some trade craft.

"He talked about this process called ‘registration’ where every week or two we would secretly meet somewhere and talk, and often they would request specific pieces of information," Mr Jones said.

He avoided giving a direct response to the offer during the initial meeting and a follow-up call Ahmed made last Monday. "It’s absolutely ridiculous. We’re protesters. We’re not criminals; we’re a public movement."

The Herald called the mobile number supplied to Mr Jones. The man who answered confirmed his name was Ahmed and that he knew Mr Jones.

Asked about Mr Jones’s allegations, he replied, after a pause: "You are not really supposed to be talking to me about this."

He then ended the call.

A spokesman for NSW Police would not comment directly on Mr Jones’s allegations.

ASIO did not return the Herald’s calls yesterday.