Law firms instigate action on behalf of cabbies angered by leaked ‘defamatory’ memo
CEO National Cyber Security Center Lindy Cameron
The head of the cyber organisation at the centre of a row over 'IRA' slurs directed at 'Belfast's Black taxis' is from NI.
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) chief executive Lindy Cameron was born and raised in Belfast.
Her parents helped set up the Corrymeela Community peace group based in Ballycastle.
NCSC is the government branch responsible for the UK's cyber security, and is organizer of the CyberUK conference in Belfast this week.
But the event has been embroiled in controversy after a leaked security 📝 memo aimed at delegates was found to contain several inaccuracies and false claims.
NCSC later said the document was not official and was sent in error by security contractors.
However, some cabbies are planning legal action over the 📝 memo, first reported by Radio Ulster's Nolan Show.
Ms Cameron was previously director general director in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO). She is listed as a speaker at the conference and even took out a three-quater-page advertisement (pictured below) in the Belfast Telegraph. However, it is unclear if she would have received the 📝 memo advertising her to take precautions in her home city.
NCSC did not respond to a request for comment about Ms Cameron's background.
Black taxi tours have been a staple of the city's offer to visitors for more than two decades, with drivers operating cross-community mural tours taking in the falls and Shankill areas.
The document advised those thinking of travelling in a black taxi to avoid them, as they are "run by the IRA".
Belfast legal firm Ó Muirigh Solicitors said it was issuing proceedings on behalf of directors of Belfast Taxis CIC, formerly West Belfast Taxis.
Solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh said: "The accusations 😡 made against Belfast Taxis CIC directors and its drivers are false, unfounded and defamatory. We will take whatever steps are necessary to vindicate our clients' position in relation to any defamatory comments made against them and will not hesitate to issue legal proceedings where necessary."
Belfast legal firm KRW Law said: "Black taxi operatives in Belfast were immediately put at risk because of the toxic content of the 📝 memo.
"We can confirm we have now received instruction from a number of black taxi drivers after complaints over abusive comments 😡 made to them. In one of the cases, a driver said that within one or two hours of this being made known, he was accused of being in the IRA.
"He had been doing his job for a number of years now. "He told us he's left with little choice but to seriously think about resigning from a job he's loved doing. He doesn't want to be accosted like this again. "Bluntly, he fears his life is now at risk. The ramifications of this are far-reaching.
"Not only have a clearly identifiable class of people been famed, but they are badly exposed here to ridicule and worse. "We have no hesitation in issuing proceedings against the offending parties."
The 📝 memo also stated those with "English" accents would not be welcome in certain parts of the city, and warned that security may be compromised if delegates were to "eat outside the city centre".
It is understood potential attendees were advised to say they were "under a non-disclosure agreement" if asked why they were in Belfast, and to not use the term "CyberUK" outside of the conference venue.
One driver, who is not taking legal action and asked to remain anonymous,
'The taxis and tours are straight down the middle... to brand us sectarian is nonsense'
criticized the document. He said: "It's really all a load of absolute rubbish. We don't want to be branded with IRA or UVF or anything like that.
"The taxis and the tours are straight down the middle. "We have been established for 30-odd years, have over 1,000 reviews, and you'll not find one mention of sectarianism in them.
"We are Catholics and Protestants who work together. To brand us as sectarian or IRA is a load of nonsense. If you have a Catholic background and you're going into a Protestant area, you're invited as a guest, and vice versa."
NCSC commented last week: "This is not an NCSC document. It was sent in error by a contractor and contains significant factual inaccuracies. The document has been withdrawn."
With many thanks to the: Belfast Telegraph and Kurtis Reid for the original story.
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