On Friday 26th March at Isleworth Crown Court, more protesters arrested after the Gaza protests last January will be sentenced.    This Friday should see the largest protest yet outside the court, showing the rise in anger at the harsh sentences that are being handed out.

The protesters feel that the court has treated the defendants unfairly, giving lengthy sentences directly because they are Muslim, and were involved in political protest. Judge Denniss, who has sentenced all the defendants so far, stated that he intended the sentences to be harsh as a ‘deterrent’ to others.

Almost all defendants have been given long custodial sentences, despite many being very young, having no previous convictions, or only playing a very small part in the disorder.   One student received a twelve month prison sentence for throwing a single empty bottle towards lines of fully armoured riot police.

There is also anger that no action has been taken against the Metropolitan police, whose actions have been blamed for sparking the disorder.  The Met have faced complaints of aggressive and abusive behaviour, using force to ‘kettle’ protesters, and using shields and batons against peaceful protesters.   Unlike the G20 protests, there has been no independent inquiry into police behaviour.

The protest on Friday is being co-ordinated by the Gaza Demonstrators Support Campaign, but will involve people from many different political and community groups.

Notes to the editor

All the defendants had been involved in demonstrations on the 3rd and 10th January 2009, against the appalling war crimes that were being inflicted on the people of Gaza.  Some of the defendants had family in Gaza at the time.  Almost all the defendants so far have been Muslim, and many have been young, some as young as fifteen at time of the offence.   Almost all have been given custodial sentences ranging up to two and a half years in prison.

103 arrests were made at the Gaza protests.  50 have pleaded guilty and are being (or have been) sentenced at Isleworth.

The accusations against the police are laid out in a report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission

http://www.ihrc.org.uk/attachments/9213_Gaza%20Demo-FV-LR-v2.pdf

Almost 1400 people lost their lives in the Israeli attack on Gaza, including 314 children.  Thousands more were injured and left homeless.

The Goldstone report accusing Israel of committing war crimes has been backed by the UN General Assembly and the European Parliament

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120543&sectionid=351020202