Martin Smith "Guilty" on Evidence of Policeman
Last Updated on Saturday, 20 November 2010 07:32 Wednesday, 08 September 2010 13:51
Love Music Hate Racism organiser Martin Smith was found guilty of assaulting a police officer--on the word of a single policeman at a Magistrates Court in south London yesterday. The assault was alleged to have taken place outside the BBC during the protest against nazi Nick Griffin appearing on Question Time. Note that this was a Magistrate's decision not that of a jury. Martin Smith strenuously denies the allegation.
While EDL violence is handled with kid gloves by the police as they are repeatedly allowed to break out of police cordons and rampage with impunity through Muslim communities, the full force of the state is applied with a very heavy hand to anti-fascists such as Martin Smith. Leading UAF members Weyman Bennett and Rhetta Moran who protested against the Bolton EDL provocation still have draconian conspiracy charges hanging over their heads--these were the same sort of trumped-up charges based on arcane laws that were used against the Shrewsbury 24 striking building workers in the 1970s--one of whom was actor Ricky Tomlinson.
Speeches after Martin Smith found guilty by court
Meanwhile, the policeman who killed Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protest escapes trial for manslaughter. And in Bradford last Saturday, even Nick Lowles of Hope Not Hate had to report on his [real time] blog, “EDL now loose on streets and no police around them.“What are the police doing? This is a shambles... The dogs are out of the van but are pointed at the locals " [i.e. anti-fascists].
Full reports of Martin Smith trial here and here.
Martin Smith speech before his trial
What you Can Do
A model motion for union branches about Martin's case can be found here. Donations can be made to Martin's campaign to clear his name on the same page.