Catalogue Number
NMLH.2022.371.4
Object Name
badge
Title
FREE THE SPANNER MEN
People
Spanner Men
Events
Operation Spanner
Date
1980
Description
Black and white badge with plastic coating, with text reading "FREE THE SPANNER MEN."
Operation Spanner was a criminal investigation into same-sex male sadomasochism, led by Londonâs Metropolitan Police. For three years from 1987, approximately 100 men were questioned by the police, resulting in 43 men named in the final report. 16 men were convicted for charges such as actual bodily harm or unlawful wounding, relating to consensual, private sadomasochistic sex between 1978 and 1987. Two activist groups, Countdown on Spanner and the Sexual Freedom Coalition, were formed to protest the charges and support the men affected.
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