Socialist Worker online masthead

Read the following alongside this story:

The system protects the police, not us

topics

Anti-racism

Afghanistan

Anti-fascism

Palestine

Immigration

full topic list

Issue: 2188 dated: 13 February 2010 News online only
posted: 3.56pm Sun 14 Feb 2010

This article should be read after: The British state’s revenge on Gaza protesters

Gaza protesters jailed

comment on article | email | print
Share on: Delicious | Digg | reddit | Facebook | StumbleUpon

by Sian Ruddick

The courts jailed seven young people on Friday who had taken part in the protests against the Israeli assault on Gaza.

Aged between 17 and 25, the defendants had all pleaded guilty to charges of violent disorder at previous court hearings.

Another three cases were delayed for the preparation of pre-sentence reports by the probation service.

The judge claimed that sentences must act as a “deterrence” to other people intent on committing violent disorder.

Sentences were as high as two and a half years in prison.

The police relied heavily on CCTV evidence, with many of the accused tracked by police intelligence teams on the demonstration and arrested later.

Two of the defendants were arrested in May, in their homes in the early hours of the morning.

In one such arrest, police handcuffed the sister of one of the defendants and her husband for an hour while they searched the house and confiscated clothes and her laptop.

The sister of another defendant said, “I’ll never go on a protest again”.

Judge Denniss called the police response on the demonstrations “measured”.

Socialist Worker will be finding the addresses of all the people who have been sent to prison and will publish them so that everyone can send messages of solidarity.

The following should be read alongside this article:

The British state’s revenge on Gaza protesters

The system protects the police, not us

© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.

SW donation ad