next A PIECE I know that some people will jeer and sheer but I think that Neil Kinnock has given tremendous support to the miners! Ten thousand five hundred and twenty miners The prosecution -attempted to prove that the miners at the front line of LIC push had adopted It was the first time tha assembly had been usedia unlawful rather than threatening behaviour which carries a milder sentence was obviously the case unal unis was a resul of a policy decision high up.
Six hundred people
have now been charged with unlawful assembly and rot. The prosecution failed in this instance for three main reasons.
Firstly, the few
occasions that the police ala get ineir evidence to agree, , it was at odds with the TV cameras.
Secondly, none of the arresting once written their own stateChief Superintendent Stark had set up team of scrint detectives to prepare standardised accounts.
And thirdly, the public Ballery soul cor South Yorkshire Defence Campaign assess that this put considerable pressure on the jury to acquit.
In the case of Terry g the ACTION For example - and you may have forgotten This - he once went to look at a picket line!
Gee whiz! French of Kent NUM, on trial for allegedly assaulting a police officer when picketing at Wyvenhoe oil terminal, the sentencing ruthless.
Was On a first trial the jury not come to decision and on a re-trial the judge gave a five year sentence!
UlIC Last Court, saw Lancashire Lanci months allegedly Two miners, Alan McGrath, were charged with the same were acquitted.
Again in port police another year he picket line? other that it was turned on its side.
Alan had witnesses Dennis had none. The police said that Dennis had his hands under the sill of which was Cal overturned Dennis's defence was that the police had been the other side of the car and possibly have seen where his hands were He had been at the front of the the picket which had pushed the car UVEI fact Denni had saved one of the policemen on tne spot from having the car turned over on him Part of thi tion's case against Dennis leader'.
sent down his mother NCB, his scab' the NCB But in general the out the who have been willing to Do you think that well-WOrK heavy policing tactics on the Dicket lines and in the pit villages they have tricu • IsOlale all criminalise the miners in the eves of the rest of the working class Speeches by Kinnock and Willis denouncing the violence of the miners and the ponce no reter. ence to who is the victim a waone orovocalcul have aided this campaign.
It is therefore vital that the case of every miner in COUr prison becomes a public issue and that the widest sections o the labour and trade union fight movement them reinstated and to demand the release of all these victims of the Tory government's repression Repression be used against other trade unionHOLS it hatcher get away with using it on the mausers Messages to Dennis Pennington should be sent c/o Bold NUM Bold Miners' Welfare Institute, Fleet Lane. Parr, St Helens, Merseyside. • The South Yorkshire Defence organising a meeting on 2 March around the defence of miners in court miners li prison at Octagon Centre, Sheffield For further details contac West 'st, SCAU, West Sheffield; or phone Worksop 771045 or Sheffield 701384 1886 cormac 2:85 Surely you don't expect the leader of the Labour Party to support
Socialist Action 1 March 1985 3
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if the strike lasted might visit another dAh-
the workers the way the Tories support the bosses!!