Guilty of opposing the arms trade
Jim Jepps
Stuart
Jordan, of Cambridge Campaign Against the Arms Trade, and Irene Willis, from
South Essex CAAT, were in court on 23rd Jan. charged with "unlawful
demonstration" for their role opposing the Dsei arms fair in September last
year.
The police were at pains to state throughout the trial the significant size of
the demonstration and how intimidating they found the "banners, dancing and
bicycles" (!) The police were frustrated because they had set up a "pen" where
they had decided protest was allowed to take place and some protesters had
chosen to go elsewhere.
The police claimed that Jordan and Willis were a "serious disruption to the
life of the Community" because they lay down in front of the Excel conference
centre hoping to, in some small way, prevent the illegal acts that were taking
place inside of the centre (for example the sale of leg irons and torture
equipment)
The police were also asked to justify why Willis (pictured right) was cuffed
behind her back and manhandled, and the arresting officer was forced to accept
that she had been "calm and compliant through out the incident" essentially
constituting a "dead weight" rather than being a risk of assault or escape.
The defendants argued that they had no case to answer because Supt. Low who
had issued the orders under Section 14 of the 1986 Public Order Act was not
present to answer why he thought it was "reasonable" to curtail the democratic
right to protest and impose small specified zones where protests was "allowed"
to take place.
Without the opportunity to question why their demonstration had been ruled to
be "unlawful" the court was unable to consider the fact that they were hoping
to prevent greater crimes taking place. The magistrates did not agree and
ruled that if Supt. Low decided something was illegal - then it was. That the
act gave in the words of the defence "unfettered discretion to senior police
officers".
It was also ruled that Willis' request for legal had been rejected despite her
financial condition because it was "not in the interests of justice" for her
to have legal representation.
The pair were found guilty and given conditional discharges of two years and
fifteen months and fined.
If you'd like to contact Stuart, or donate to his appeal to cover the fine please
email stuartjordan32@hotmail.com
For more details see
https://ccaat.cambridgeaction.net/
Jan 2006
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