Central London Meet up point:
WATERLOO Station 8am, PLAT FORM 4. Trains Leave at 8:12 (8:39) or 8:27 (8:55)
Trains also leave from VAUXHALL. Trains leave at 8:01, 8:16 and 8:31
Kingston is in ZONE 6. Day return is 7.70, or you can pay top of on existing Oyster Cards.
Owen Jones, John McDonnell, Marcia Rigg, Liam Burns, Merlin Emanuel, UK UNcut, Occupy London, Fortnum and Mason occupier on why you should be there:
“The right to protest is under attack in this country and the trial of Alfie Meadows is just one striking example of this. He could easily have died form his injuries and yet, as ever, there is a failure to hold the Metropolitan Police accountable for their actions on demonstrations. All those who are interested in defending basic civil liberties should stand with Alfie Meadows” OWEN JONES author of Chavs
“When police beat Alfie Meadows to an inch of his life during the demonstration of 9 December 2010, they attacked not just the students who are trying to defend what’s left of universal education but everyone who is determined to resist the government’s catastrophic neo-liberal programme…” PETER HALLWARD, KINGSTON UNIVERSITY
“The idea that Alfie faces custodial sentencing for peacefully protesting, after being brutally attacked and assaulted to the point of requiring brain surgery, reeks of hypocrisy and injustice. No one should have to face assault when exercising their right to protest. The charges against Alfie must be dropped and an urgent investigation into his assault launched. Students across the UK today will be saying ‘we are all Alfie Meadows.'” LIAM BURNS, NUS PRESIDENT
“The trial of Alfie Meadows will shape the future of protest in Britain. If the courts convict a protester who narrowly avoided death at the hands of the police on a demonstration they will be sending a message that whilst protesters are to be criminalised the police are above the law.” HANNAH DEE Defend the right to Protest
“Alife’s almost fatal blow to the head is regrettably suffered by a number of victims who die by that fatal blow with a police batten. Thankfully, Alfie is here to tell the tale but sadly, people like Blair Peach and Brian Douglas are not. They have been silenced with no accountability. Alfie should not be silenced by criminalisation. No Justice, No Peace. MARCIA RIGG Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign
“Our solidarity is with Alfie Meadows and those that suffer at the hands of political policing. Occupy London has become familiar with these tactics - which seek to intimidate, stigmatise and supress legitimate protest - though to date nothing as serious as what happened to Alfie, who has show real strength of character. Through the actions we’ve seen taken against student protestors, the Government and its servants are attempting to silence a new generation of citizens from exercising their right to protest - I hope that that the justice system in this case proves itself to be just.” RONAN McNERN, supporter of Occupy London
“Alfie’s case demonstrates a grotesque distortion of our justice system. In exercising his right to protest he became the victim of police violence and came close to losing his life. Now the courts are being used not to prosecute his attacker but to criminalise him. People are rightfully asking where’s the justice?” JOHN McDONNELL MP
‘Shown clearly in the charges against Alfie are the arrogance and brutishness of the Met and CPS. Their confident expectation that Alfie can be prosecuted for violence the police committed must not be satisfied. The charges should be dropped; his attacker should be tried’. ROBERT STEARN Fortnum & Mason Occupier
“When we stand up in protest of the government’s decisions that are wrecking peoples lives, we are often met with violence from the police. Then, almost unbelievably but all too often it is the protestors, such as alfie, that are arrested and charged and police lie in court. When we fight against this we can win. Its not right for the victims to get punished. So let’s join alfie & others in solidarity & seek justice” JESSICA RAMSGATE, Uk Uncut
This is an obvious attempt to justify the violence against Alfie. At any point in the trial that the police lie, it can be refuted and asked for the trial to be stopped pending investigation of Perjury by the Police. At least that used to be the law….