THERE IS a crime contempt of court which consists, roughly speaking, of refusing to defer to the legal majesty, wisdom, and general godliness of the folk who sit in judgement on us:
So here is a question: How is it possible to be anything but utterly contemptuous of stipendiary magistrates Cook, Badge, and who have presided over the Southal show trials?
Ole Hanson of the Legal Action Group, which represents lawvers. describes these trials as one of the legal scandals of the century.
Many ol ine attempting to represent the predominantly Asian rounded up by Metropolitan Police Commissioner McNee's thugs on 23 April now despair of being able to mohatever tie deen evidence defendants and witnesses; whatever the cross-examination police brutality, fabricated evidence, and the dearth. evidence whatsoever, it makes little difference to the outcome of the show triais, in which 86 cases have so far been dealt with. Convictions Stipendiaries Cook, Badge, and Canham, sitting in court, have so fár conviction rate of 87 per cent — some 35 per cent higher than that achieved vy lie usual standards or impartlat justice cases. arising aconstianons.
Each of these acolytes of McNee has found a different reason arriving at the expressed in the timeless phrase: "I find you guilty.' The fines so far total some £7,000, and three Asians have been goaled; two for three months and one for one month.
Cook is quite straightforward. I've heard the evidence from DIOSCULOUI mullers 'Obviously contradiction. But 1 have no reason to doubt the evidence given police.' He's earned his Police Federation 1 medal.
Badge likes to be a little more subtle. When you listen handing obstruetion and threatening behaviour like some kind of confetti, dealimes apparentatime ha dealing community defending its rights.
To Mr Badge, honorary membership of the National Front. Heights Stipendiary Canham, who starred in Barnet for the past fortnight, has leapt heights of judicial wisdom. Take the prosecution last Thursday of Raminder supposedly throwing a brick at a police cordon.
Sidhu, who works on the assembly line at Vauxhalls and helps his father Tun a restaurant, was arrested five known impartiality, next-toCanham.
3,500 lawyers who are workers reveais reliable turn at Barne notched up for conclusion, the defence, he La by the to hum for is black crowd of Asians.
Sidhu considered as sound evidence. But Canham deterred, reaching minutes after a cop said he saw him with a brick in his hand among a large The cop, Chief Inspector Purgell, was 25 yards away and acknowledged that he had seen Sidhu for only a couple of seconds.
Sidha's defence counsel quoted the from a legal judgement which made it abundantly clear that an observation in such circumstances could not be wasn't to be for military THUG-in-Chief, Sir David McNee, getting the heat treatment after the Blair Peach benefit in July analogies to tell the courtroom what wonderfully trained observers police are. Sidhu was fined £75 with £30 costs.
Canham is responsible introducing yet another gimmick at Southall trials sentencing week Bhagirath Ramphal and Jargit Samra bound over to keep the peace for a year on their own surety of £100.
Both had appeared to evidence for defendents, acknowledgWing in doing so that they had taken the part in a demonstration. This was too much for Canham, who in sentencing these witnesses was not to be put off for by the fact that they had not been charged with anything and therefore were not legally represented.
The proper description for this were kind of procedure witnesses. To Mr Canham, fond of referring to battlefields, the gIve Iron Cross.
All this in addition to the fact that
Crown
day of their trial.
the defendants of charges Thugs communiti Campaign's trials. decided to smith, Wolverhampton end.
Park, Holloway.
intimidating IS the trials are deliberately being held in Barnet, 20 miles from the Southall community which might have directly challenged this kangaroo court; that appeals will go to the St t Albans Court, notorious for addiction to sticking to magistrates' decisions; and that the police are obstinately refusing to disclose their case against defendants before the There's a lot more to come. Most of dealt so far have not been political activists -their turn comes shortly.
On 22 October, for instance, there will be a group trial of six Southall Youth Movement members charged assaults, cases of threatening behaviour, and a bunch of possessing weapons. On 9 October, . Tariq Ali comes up at Barnet before stipendiary McDermott, at the mention of whose name defence lawyers tend to throw up. Jail sentences are anticipated.
This then is the British justice that is being dished out to the Southall operation after thousands of MiNdeD mopping thugs went in with coshes on 23 April.
A simple lesson is being learnt in that community. Ivan Johnson, a West Indian in Peoples Unite, put it this way in the Southall Defenc Door TV programme: We'll die trying to deal with this sort of situation peacefully. We might as well die fighting. Next time we'll be armed.' The labour movement has still to make even a protest against the show The Anti Nazi League has organise meetings in several cities, in order to start building the broadest possible defence.
The immediate task is the call that has gone out to all ANL branches to organise pickets of police stations on Wednesday, 10 October, the eve of the opening of the Blair Peach inquest at the coroners court in HammerWest London.
*Pickets of police stations on 10 October have so far been arranged in the following towns and cities. Make sure you're there Nottingham, , Liverpool, Cardiff, Swansea, Canterbury, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Oldham, Brighton, Bradford, Sheffield, Durham, Preston, Colchester, Luton, Swindon, Huddersfield, and SouthIn London, police stations to be picketed include those in Southall Dalston, Kilburn, Lewisham, Queen Harlesden, Hornsey, and Socialist Challenge 4 October 1979 Page 3