Call Out For Solidarity.

        In this so called democracy, sanitised, and authority choreographed, marches, demos and protests are tolerated, but even in these sanctioned affairs, the eyes of the minders of the state, are ever eager to mark things with their branding iron of fear, just in case anybody should try to think for themselves and act accordingly. Glasgow Pride March, a rather merry and pleasurable affair, saw 5 arrests.
         This is a call out from various groups, to show support and solidarity with those arrested.

Solidarity with 5 arrested at Glasgow Pride MarchHi, 

     There’s a write-up on this blog, including pictures and video: https://athousandflowers.net/2017/08/19/no-pride-in-police-arrests-in-glasgow-as-protesters-resist-police-led-pride-march/amp/
       The first three arrests were a planned protest by Free Pride and they were bailed on Saturday. The other two arrests were from our bloc: a young person nicked for having an offensive banner (with no chance to surrender or destroy it) and someone who tried to intervene / observe. As far as I know these two are being held for court on Monday.
        I’ll go to the court tomorrow in support; is anyone else coming, and do we know the full names of the arrestees? I expect both to be not called, or bailed or ordained to return for trial. Does anyone know where prisoners are released from Glasgow Sheriff Court custody, if they don’t get out through the main doors?
        Thanks for any help, best wishes,

Solidarity with 5 arrested at Glasgow Pride March
        Latest news is that two people are still in custody, the other three have been released. There is going to be a solidarity demo at the Glasgow Sheriff Court tomorrow Monday 9am onwards
       For updates see ACE facebook and especially Free the Pride Five events page https://www.facebook.com/events/294177851048722/
       Excerpt: On 19th August three trans activist and two antifa were arrested for protesting capitalist pride. Join us in solidarity on their court date.
UPDATE: three have been released but we will still be there for the other two.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1445513385484082&id=216550781713688&ref=bookmarks

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

Excessive Arrests, All Part of The Exploitative System.

      Scotland is a small country with a population of roughly 5 million, so in the scale of things, all our institutions should likewise show that smallness. For example our courts should be among the smallest in Europe, but surprise, surprise, Glasgow's Sheriff Court is the busiest in Europe. What a bunch of nasty criminals we must be!! It appears the oor wee Glesca court processes around 2,000 nasties a day. Are we really that criminal a bunch, or is the system simply trying to screw us to the deck with greater enthusiasm than the rest of Europe does with their citizens? 

    Not only is it the busiest court in Europe, but it seems to be the most degrading with foul conditions for those being held in its cages. Women seem to come of worst, according to the recent report by David Strang, HM chief inspector of prisons, who states, female prisoners kept in the holding cells at Europe’s busiest court are forced to endure “degrading and inhumane” conditions, ---"a lack of privacy for female inmates who must walk past unscreened male toilets that were “odorous and clearly visible from the hallway”. Corton Vale Women's Prison also comes in for some nasty criticism. 

    In this system of capitalism, conditions for those arrested are away down the priority list, if they will cut the benefits to the disabled, you can only guess what priority they give to those they deem to be the scourge of their lucrative little scam. You can forget that crap about innocent until proved guilty, arrested, you are treated like a second class citizen, your conditions are of no concern to the lords and masters, rulers of the system.

    No matter where you look, our conditions are on the way down, from over crowed prisons, excessive arrests, social services being trashed, benefits being cut, benfit sanctions, workfare slave labour, employment conditions dropping ever closer to third world conditions, public spaces disappearing into the domain of the corporate world, public assets being sold off to the financial Mafia at knock-down prices, and so it goes on. If you don't recognise this as class war, and we are losing, then you're not paying attention. 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Barbara Dowling's Appeal.

     Wed 7 August - Barbara Dowling's census case

10.30am, High Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh
        Barbara's appeal hearing over her prosecution for failing to fully complete her census form in 2011 will be held in the High Court Edinburgh. The appeal will challenge the decision by Glasgow Sheriff Court to allow the case against Barbara to proceed without allowing her lawyer to comment on an ammendment to the charge ( they were using out of date legislation ). This was just the last in a long series of legal abuses designed to scapegoat a handful of people, without making any serious attempt to prosecute all the 187,924 Scottish households that were required to send in a census form and didn't do so.
More background at http://www.ethicalcensus.org.uk/
     Please come along to make sure that the Scottish legal system knows we're watching it.

No Complicity in Torture!

ann arky's home.

Postponed Postponement!

      How many times can the judiciary postpone a case on the grounds of "lack of court time" before you can call a halt, due to unfair treatment?

Census trial adjourned again

 

      Barbara Dowling's trial for allegedly refusing to fully complete her census form has today (19 February )  been adjourned due to lack of court time until 23rd April

 

     Today's decision continues a long history of delays. Barbara first appeared before Glasgow Sheriff Court in connection with these charges in September 2011, when she entered a not guilty plea.

 

      A US-based defence contractor involved in human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison helped to run the Scotland's 2011 census. The contractor - CACI International - has tried for years to claim immunity from lawsuits relating to its involvement in torture and abuse. But people in Scotland who refused, as a matter of conscience, to participate fully in the census are being pursued as criminals through the Scottish courts

 

See http://www.ethicalcensus.org.uk/

 

More info: contact@ethicalcensus.org.uk  or phone  07936432519 or 07786630764

ann arky's home.

Torture and the Scotish Census.

Support Barbara Dowling - on trial over the census on 19 February

Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Assemble outside the court from 9.30pm

Trial from 10am.

     Barbara Dowling's long delayed trial for allegedly refusing to fully complete her census form will be held on 19 February, in Glasgow Sheriff Court. Even if you can't come along for the whole of the trial, please show your support by joining us outside the court from 9.30am.

       A US-based defence contractor involved in human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison helped to run the census. The contractor - CACI International - has tried for years to claim immunity from lawsuits relating to its involvement in torture and abuse. But people in Scotland who refused, as a matter of conscience, to participate fully in the census are being pursued as criminals through the Scottish courts.

See:             http://www.ethicalcensus.org.uk/

More info:     contact@ethicalcensus.org.uk

or phone:       07936432519 or 07786630764

ann arky's home.

BARBARA DOWLING'S TRIAL.

A call for solidarity for a very brave and principled woman. 

Barbara Dowling's census trial re-scheduled for 25 September

     Barbara Dowling will be on trial in Glasgow on Tuesday for allegedly refusing to aid and abet torture by cooperating with Scotland's census.

10am Tuesday 25 September at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Map http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/locations/index.asp?crt=glw&val=map
     

      Please come along to support Barbara in court. If other commitments prevent you from staying for the duration of the trial, please come along *before* 10am to show your support outside the court - even if it's only for a few minutes.
         "As everyone knows, soldiers and civilian contractors at the Abu Ghraib prison committed criminal offenses," says New York Times editor, Andrew Rosenthal. So why have no Abu Ghraib contractors faced prosecution? And why is a Glasgow woman facing criminal charges for objecting to the involvement of Abu Ghraib contractor CACI in Scotland’s census?
        Barbara Dowling will be tried in Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday 25 September, accused of committing a criminal offence under the Census Act 1920. She allegedly refused to fully complete her census form last year in protest at the involvement in Scotland’s census of a British subsidiary of US defence contractor CACI International.

Read the full article
http://news.ethicalcensus.org.uk/2012/is-objecting-to-torture-a-crime/#more-319

More info: contact@ethicalcensus.org.uk
mailto:contact@ethicalcensus.org.uk

or phone 07936432519 or 07786630764

ann arky's home.

THE RIGHT TO PROTEST.

Please circulate widely.
Support Barbara in Court - victimised over Scottish census

10am Wednesday

25th January, Dumbarton Sheriff Court, over non-payment of a fine for blockading Faslane

10am Thursday 26 January in Court 16, Glasgow Sheriff Court, over the census.

       Barbara Dowling is being charged under the Census Act, accused of not filling in her census form properly. Barbara will be defending herself.

The trial will be at 10am in Court 16, Glasgow Sheriff Court Thursday 26 January.

SOLIDARITY.

Or come a bit earlier to show your support outside the court

        Bring placards and banners, Please come along and show your support even if you can only spare a short time. Countless Scots have either failed to fill in their census forms or returned them partially completed or improved by critical comments, but have not been prosecuted. Barbara's victimisation is inexplicable.

       CACI, the firm that helped run Abu Ghraib and also helped run Scotland's Census, has so far dodged any accountability in law for its involvement in abuse and torture. It claims immunity in the US as a government contractor. And in Scotland the Crown Office refused to prosecute CACI, initially claiming lack of jurisdiction.

Barbara is the first person to be tried in Scotland over objections to the 2011 census. SHE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT.

      Barbara will also be in court on 25 Jan over non-payment of a fine incurred for blockading Faslane nuclear Base. Barbara is refusing to pay the fine and risks a jail sentence:

10am 25th January, Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

- support in court welcome

      "The Scottish government, and any government with a principled stance, should not be going near any firm with such associations, even indirectly. The government is opening itself up to significant and justified protest. Ordinary members of the public could refuse to have anything to do with the census. A boycott is something to be considered. It would be a legitimate step. We cannot ignore our principles." - Solicitor Advocate John Scott, 2008.

       "Now it seems the Scottish government is already closing its eyes to what is going on overseas. Would we say it was OK if a firm connected to Mugabe was hired to run our census? It is unacceptable that they have been hired. This will horrify most ordinary people It is unacceptable that the Scottish government should be selling its soul to an organisation accused of torturing human beings." - Solicitor Aamer Anwar, 2008

More background and news at ethicalcensus.org.uk
Download a flyer -
http://www.sacc.org.uk/sacc/resources/census-trial2.pdf

More information
07786630764 or 07936432519

ann arky's home.

VINDICTIVE STATE APPARATUS.

Please circulate widely

News from ethicalcensus.org.uk

Support Barbara in Court - victimised over Scottish census

       Barbara Dowling is being charged under the Census Act, accused of not filling in her census form properly. Her intermediate diet was held on Tue 10 January and her case is going ahead to trial. Barbara will be defending herself. The trial will be at 10am in Court 16, Glasgow Sheriff Court Thursday 26 January (not 16 January, as stated in an earlier email).

      Countless Scots have either failed to fill in their census forms or returned them partially completed or improved by critical comments, but have not been prosecuted. Barbara's victimisation is inexplicable. Please make a date in your diary to come along and support her. And please tell your friends.

      Barbara will also be in court on 25 Jan over non-payment of a fine incurred for blockading Faslane nuclear submarine base. Barbara is refusing to pay the fine and risks a jail sentence:

10am 25th January, Dumbarton Sheriff Court - support in court welcome

ann arky's home.