GLOBALISE RESISTANCE PRESS RELEASE-Charges placed on Arrested GR Activists...

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday February 22, 2002 18:14 by antrophe antrophe at hotmail dot com

...The clampdown on our civil liberties continues...

Yesterday 14 globalise resistance activists were up in court, extra charges have been placed on some of them. The following text is a Globalise Resistance Press Release...

EXTRA CHARGES PLACED ON ACTIVISTS TODAY

NEXT trial 13th march COURT 50 10.30 AM

14 Globalise Resistance activists had a hearing today. They were arrested
at an anti-privatisation demonstration at the Burlington Hotel last
October.

New Charges have been put on the activists today such as resisting arrest
and blocking officers engaged in arrest. These charges have been put on
months after the incidents and show that this is an attempt to intimidate
peaceful protestors.

Rory Hearne, Grace Lally and Aoife Ni Fhearrall received the new charge of
Section 8 which carries the potential 6 months imprisonment or 1500 fine.
Richard Boyd Barrett, Thomas Kador, Eric Timons, Brian Whelan, all received
the extra charge of resisting arrest (Section 19). The judge has agreed
that cases will be heard on an individual basis. The extra charges will
mean larger fines, a further attack on civil liberties and attempt to
intimidate people from defending their right to protest.

The first trial is for Rory Hearne on the 13th March 10.30am. 10 defendents
are on trial on the 10th July while the remaining three are on the 20th
September.

The protestors were engaged in peaceful protest outside the hotel when the
gardai baton charged the protesters and proceeded to arrest 14 of the
demonstrators for offences under the Public Order Act. Joe Higgins,
Socialist Party TD and Trevor Sargent, Green party TD both spoke at the
protest. They expressed their opposition to the plans to privatise public
services which were been discussed inside the Hotel at the time at the
Annual Public-Private Partnership Global Summit.

Rory Hearne, Globalise Resistance, and one of the defendents, Stated; "The
arrests at the demonstration are part of a general clamp down on civil
liberties since September 11th. Governments are using the pre-text of
fighting terrorism to clamp down on opposition movements. Here in the
Ireland the Public Order Act is being used to arrest peaceful protestors.
Already Kieran Allen from the Anti-War movement has been convicted and
fined 1,200 euros for stewarding an anti-war demonstration.

I was arrested while leaving the demonstration and was singled out simple
because I am a prominent spokesperson for Globalise Resistance. We are
calling for the charges to be dropped and stating our right to peacefully
protest."

Contact Rory at 087 9890330 or Donal at 087 6838746 for more info