[Imc-uk-features] SOCPA feature - parliament sq peace camp court cases

[jagmad at riseup.net]

Hi Genny,

It just needs to be converted to HTML using a suitable editor to save
time. I don't know which platform you are using so I suggest you do a
Google for 'html editor freeware', preferably WYSIWYG.

I just send mine as a browseable attachment without using relative links
for convenience. It is a simple matter for the person putting it up to do
a quick find and replace on the links to convert them to relative.

It is a good idea to learn to handcode in HTML as it is sometimes
necessary to correct errors manually. It looks as if you are well on the
way to accomplishing this.

Cheers,

Doug.

On Mon, May 28, 2007 12:07 am, Genny wrote:
> Hi
>
>
> I'm working on this feature about court cases from last October's No
> More Fallujahs peace camp in Parliament Sq and associated actions.
>
>
> It's not quite finished yet, because I'm still missing info about at
> least one of the defendants, and want to add a bit more about the various
> charges, but thought I'd post it for comments now.  Hope it'll be ready to
> go up Tues or Wed.
>
> Does anyone have time to show me how to get it ready and post it?  Live
> help via irc would be good at the point it's ready to go up. I've been
> avoiding admin but it's about time I learned how. :o)
>
> I guess I have to add some html for paras, italics etc. which I should
> be able to manage, and I know I have to change the indymedia links to
> relative ones first.  Anything else?
>
> Cheers
>
>
> Genny
>
>
>
>
>
> Title
>
>
> Parliament Square Peace Campers in Court
>
>
> Picture from the Peace Camp or Naming the Dead action
> [this one? http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2006/10/354680.jpg]
>
>
> Abstract
>
>
> At least 12 activists have now been charged under *SOCPA* [link:
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2005/20050015.htm]
> in connection with the *No More Fallujahs* [link:
> http://www.rememberfallujah.org/] Peace Camp and Naming the Dead actions
> in Parliament Square and Whitehall on 29-30 October 2006.  *Report* [link
> to feature: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/355049.html].
>
> In a *planned act of civil disobedience* [link:
> http://www.rememberfallujah.org/letter.htm] against the occupation of
> Iraq, dozens of campaigners set up an unauthorised camp in Parliament
> Square for 24 hours last October. In all, over 100 people took part in
> workshops and discussions and held 'Naming the Dead' remembrance ceremonies
> in  Parliament Square and Whitehall during the action.
>
> Over the 24 hours of No More Fallujahs, some participants were
> 'reported' under SOCPA, while others were arrested and released.  No-one
> was charged at the time, but in November Milan Rai and Maya Evans were
> charged with 'organising' and 'taking part in' an 'unauthorised
> demonstration', with the others receiving summonses for 'taking part' at
> the beginning of May, more than six months after the demonstration.
>
> Most of the defendants have been in court over the past two weeks, with
> the judgements to date illustrating the arbitrary nature of British
> 'justice'.
>
>
> Read on...
>
>
> Body
>
>
> On 18 May, at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court, Milan Rai and Maya
> Evans, both of whom have previous SOCPA convictions [link:
> http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/12/329440.html]
> [link: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/338174.html], received no
> fine and no costs when convicted of participating in an unauthorised
> demonstration within the designated area around Parliament - Section
> 132(1)(b) of SOCPA - [*report*], while less than a week later, on 23
> May, Gabriel Carlyle and Jan Smith were each fined £100 plus £60 costs
> in the same court for the same offence even though they have no previous
> SOCPA convictions.
>
>
> Milan and Maya were also found guilty on 18 May of organising the
> demonstration - Section 132(1)(a) - an offence which can result in a
> custodial sentence, and for this they were fined just £100 each with no
> costs.  To put this in context, Milan was fined £350 with £150 costs when,
> in April 2006, he became the first person to be convicted under SOCPA for
> organising an unauthorised demonstration. Other organisers of the Peace
> Camp were not charged at all, although several openly admitted
> their organising roles in a letter to the press [link:
> http://tinyurl.com/yw2ksf].  In fact, the 'organising' charge against
> Milan and Maya had been dropped at an earlier court hearing, but in an
> administrative cock-up the magistrate on May 18 was unaware of this, and
> the defendants decided to allow the case to go ahead rather than adjourn
> again to allow clarification to be sought.
>
> A number of other defendants had their cases listed for 23 May along
> with Gabriel Carlyle and Jan Smith. Their cases were adjourned and all will
> be heard at later dates.
>
> Martin Newell, *recently imprisoned* [link:
> http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/05/369432.html] for refusing to pay
> a fine in connection with another peaceful protest, had his case adjourned
> to 10am on Tuesday 12 June, while the date for David King's case will be
> set at a hearing next month.
>
> Steve Barnes, Brian Barlow and Robin Clohesy successfully arranged with
> the court for their cases to be joined.  After reading through the
> prosecution's evidence, they decided that they did not need their
> arresting/reporting officers present at the trial, which has  been listed
> for 10am on Friday 14 September.
>
> Two other defendants, Genny Bove and Adam Twine, wrote to the court
> rather than appearing in person.  Their cases have also been adjourned,
> with Genny's case provisionally linked to the other 14 September cases,
> subject to her having sight of the prosecution evidence and not requiring
> the reporting officer present.  At the time of writing, the new date for
> Adam's trial is not known.
>
>
> None of the defendants received bail conditions.
>
>
> All defendants would welcome support in court, especially Martin, whose
> case is being heard individually on 12 June.  Any changes to court dates or
> new dates that we become aware of will be posted here.
>
> All cases are to be heard at *Horseferry Road Magistrates Court* [link:
> http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/HMCSCourtFinder/Search.do?court_id=295]
> .
>
>
>
>
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