WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTEST WITHOUT FEAR.

         Alfie Meadows was beaten by the police on the December 9th 2010 student demonstration and had to have emergency brain surgery to save his life. Now he has been charged with violent disorder. Please help spread the petition to get justice for Alfie

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justice-for-alife-meadows

       Signatories include: Tariq Ali, Gigi Ibrahim (Egyptian activist and blogger), John McDonnell (MP), Ken Loach (Film Director), Caroline Lucas (MP), Liam Burns (NUS President),Zita Holbourne (PCS NEC), Mark Thomas (Comedian) and Jody McIntyre (Journalist and Equality Movement Activist).

SOLIDARITY.

       On 9th December 2010, tens of thousands of students took part in a national demonstration against MPs voting for £9,000 tuition fees in a mass show of unity against this deeply unpopular policy. Thousands who wanted to protest were met with police charges on horseback and kettling. A senior doctor from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, who set up a field hospital in Parliament Square, spoke of her experience of being kettled on Westminster Bridge, "It was the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen – it must have been what Hillsborough was like. The crush was just so great." She recorded people suffering from respiratory problems, chest pains and symptoms of severe crushing.

Jody McIntyre was pulled from his wheelchair and dragged along the pavement.
       University student Alfie Meadows came on the demonstration after being involved in a campaign at Middlesex University to save his philosophy department from closure. He was struck so hard on the head with a police baton that he needed emergency brain surgery. Alfie lost his university department and when he protested he received a life threatening injury. But outrageously Alfie has since been charged with violent disorder and faces a trial on 26th March.

       This forms part of a pattern of attacks on protest which has seen hundreds of students arrested and scores either charged or sentenced to long terms in prison. We the undersigned demand an end to political charging and sentencing of protesters and call for all charges against Alfie Meadows to be dropped. We also call for a mobilisation of students, workers and campaigners outside his court hearing on 26th March.

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