---

European Union (Amendment) Bill

I support my noble friend Lord Pearson. I do not think that the strictures from the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, are correct. This is an EU force, which, as my noble friend said, is training in Vicenza. It is not a civil, nice, friendly bobby police force, but riot police. I know that I am not allowed to produce photographs or anything else as hard evidence in your Lordships' House, but I can describe a photograph of helmeted, shielded, gas-masked, armed police training in Vicenza, with EU flashes on their shoulders. They are obviously acting in an EU capacity. Why, therefore, should they not at some point be deployed within the European Union? On the Olympic Games, recently, in London, we had unfortunate demonstrations when some Chinese goons in rather unfortunate track suits were guarding the flame. Under what authority were they deployed? No one seems to have answered that question. I think that they even manhandled the noble Lord, Lord Coe, who is in charge of our Olympics. If the Government are happy to have Chinese goons guarding the Olympic flame this year, will they have the EGF in any role in the future, whether at the Olympic Games or in any other capacity? Whether it might be for friendly matters at football matches, as the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, said, I do not know, but these are not friendly bobbies with whistles around their necks. They are an armed and gas-masked European Gendarmerie Force.