[Photograph of Francis being manhandled by police, copyright Milena Nova]
On July 7th Francis Fernie, a 20-year-old student from York, was given a ridiculously punitive 12-month sentence for “violent disorder”, in this case chucking a couple of flimsy sticks from protest banners, injuring no one. There is a Facebook group set up to help him here, a campaign website here and a Twitter account here.
There is no doubt at all that his incredibly harsh and unnecessary sentence is part of a broader attempt to criminalise young protesters, to put future protesters off and generally create a climate of fear around legitimate opposition to increasingly destructive government policies.
Sign the petition for Francis Fernie here.
We, the undersigned, call on the Secretary of State for Justice to:
1) Quash Francis Fernie’s sentence in recognition of his previous good record, the provocation he received from the police and the judge’s stated decision to punish him for the actions of the whole crowd.
2) End the use of political sentencing, especially for young people involved in political protest.
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