*Despite winning, Sandy Nicholl and Soren Gøard face legal fees of up to £3000
*Make sure they aren’t left out of pocket for standing ground against police tactics increasingly common on anti-fascist and other protests
Click here to donate: http://www.defendtherighttoprotest.org/donate-antifa5/
On April 15th, 5 anti-fascist protesters were vindicated after the case against them collapsed - the prosecution admitting they had “no evidence” to proceed due to their key witness Chief Inspector Williams being “on leave”.
The police had almost a year to prepare for this case which involved just 5 of the 59 people originally arrested during a demonstration which stopped the BNP from marching on the Cenotaph in June last year.
The trial was a sham with the judge dismissing the case before it even started. However the need for solidarity isn’t over.
Two of the protesters were denied legal aid and now face legal fees amounting to thousands of pounds! They are Sandy Nicholl (UNISON Branch Secretary at SOAS) and Søren Goard (Education Officer Goldsmiths SU): both widely respected activists.
The anti-fascist five scored an important and collective victory for protest and anti-fascists by standing their ground. Just months after their arrest, 286 anti-fascists during a mobilisation to stop the EDL from marching on Tower Hamlets in September 2013. Again we know of only 2 people who have been charged.
Mass arrests, restrictive bail conditions, months of waiting, then a handful charged; this is the face of anti-fascist policing - it is important those who stand their ground are not left to pay the costs alone.
Defend the Right to Protests comment, videos and news relating to the case: http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=48d9eca5372db4ebe90c74ae5&id=459e863191
Hannah Dee DtRtP Chair on wider context of the case: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/15/anti-fascist-prosters-criminalised-civil-liberties-at-risk
Sandy Nicholl and Søren Goard speaking after the trial collapsed: