WIGGED-UP STITCH-UP

A BRISTOLIAN MAN has been found guilty of multiple accounts of assaulting an officer during last July’s anti-E.D.L. demo in Bristol, simply because the judge disagreed with his politics – allegedly; the demo itself saw hundreds of police protecting 300 racists from thousands of locals and anti-fascists, making multiple arrests. Despite the hearing taking place in a magistrates court, a district judge sat in. His first move was to declare testimony from two people invalid solely, due to their membership in the Anarchist Federation – an above-ground, legal, membership-based organisation. From there, the trial became even more farcical, with the judge ignoring gaping holes in the contradictory statements of two cops. At one point, the ‘assaulted’ officer admitted that he couldn’t be sure the accused was even responsible for the ‘assault’. The same officer then alleged that he ‘punched his hat off’, despite pictures featured in Vice magazine clearly showing the officer wearing his hat throughout the proceedings. But duty solicitors failed to submit the photographs, anyway. Throughout the hearing, the judge was more keen to criticise the lifestyle and political philosophy of the defendant than to consider evidence which pointed towards ‘not guilty’. After finding the anarchist guilty, the judge won’t rule out prison. Even if prison is averted, he’ll still be left with £600 to pay in fees, not including any fines. If you’d like to show (financial) support, drop us an email, and we’ll let you know what you can do to help stick two fingers up at a legal system that has always defended the interests of the powerful, judicial process be damned.

 

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

 

FREEDOM PRESS, THE publishers of the UK’s longest-running anarchist newspaper (circa 1886) are in danger of folding, after having to settle a copyright claim out of court for £4,000 with freelance photographer David Hoffman. As well as the newspaper, Freedom run a bookshop and publishing wing, and provide office space for various radical organisations, such as SolFed, the Advisory Service for Squatters and CorporateWatch. Like the rest of the movement they are woefully under-resourced. But Hoffman took exception to the fact that a number of his shots from the 80’s and 90’s were used in the book ‘Beating the Fascists’. Hoffman is now developing a charming penchant for financially crippling organisations he is allegedly sympathetic to, after his £10,000 payout earlier in the year bankrupted drugs charity D.A.R.E. In response to the crisis, Freedom have called a series of emergency meetings to rescue their paper, including one during this year’s London Anarchist Bookfair on the 27th October. To find out how you can help, check out http://www.freedompress.org.uk. David Hoffman need not apply.

http://www.freedompress.org.uk/news/2012/08/03/freedom-press-public-meeting