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Alfie Meadows - Unanimous Not-guilty Verdict !!

Ian Tomlinson | 08.03.2013 18:07 | Repression

A young student who the Metropolitan Police beat nearly to death at a university fees demonstration has been cleared of violent disorder. After the police nearly killed him, the cops then accused Alfie Meadows of having committed serious criminal offences during the 9 Dec 2010 demo in London, which took place to protest against plans to treble tuition fees, but a jury took less than five hours to return a unanimous not-guilty verdict at Woolwich Crown Court today.



 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/mar/08/student-tuition-fees-cleared-disorder

Ian Tomlinson

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Inspector Gadget

08.03.2013 18:23

Inspector Gadget and all the Met Police Geheime Staatspolizei who lied to the press about Ian Tomlinson and claimed Meadows was attacked by protestors will be spitting their dummies out all over Twatter and the web

Congraulations, Lestrade - you trusted the government and in exchange for your loyal violence Boris Johnson broke explicit promises about police numbers and the government slashed police wages and pensions

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5212106/G20-police-officer-said-he-wanted-to-beat-up-hippies-on-Facebook.html

Chris

Congratulations Alfie

08.03.2013 20:14

Absolutely disgusting but typical behaviour by the police to bring these charges and put Alfie through the stress of the court case, as if the physical injuries he suffered at their hands was not enough.
But then it was clearly done to delay any investigation by IPCC or claim by Alfie. The Police will do anything to protect themselves: no morality,nor humanity so they should be treated with the disgust and contempt they show for us.
Anybody who joins the police force does so willingly and in full knowledge of their ethos of the police and is as guilty as any of them and equally deserving of our contempt.

qed: ACAB

Just an ordinary person

Media blackout

08.03.2013 21:52

I am certainly no fan of the Guardian, but at least they reported this story. All other major news agencies seem to have decided to censor this. Yet another example of the cop-loving media making sure we only get to hear what suits them.

Media watcher

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Fair play...

09.03.2013 11:10

....however, despite attending the demo in protest at tuition cuts etc what on earth did Alfie (or indeed) anyone think would happen if he was involved with fighting the police!? That he would't get hurt or shoved around! Come on! Typical arrogant, leftie naivety I would suggest.....He was probably there, excited, at the front, shoving cops and other ppl around etc and he got hit. Sorry, perhaps I just recognise the necessity of having a high level of personal responsibility for individual actions as I am from Holland where there is much less of a nanny-state and individuals have to account for their actions more so in the UK where 'it's always someone else's fault/responsibility'

Honestly! Come on! I'm not the biggest fan of the cops but really it has to be high time that personal responsibility about individual actions at demos is looked at to stop the embarrasing, and frankly boring, whingeing about how ppl get hurt and how the police are so violent in the UK all the time. It's complete crap. Having been to many demos over the last years of a variety of sizes (and a couple abroad in Italy with my GF - now there you will see horrific and genuine police brutality) sometimes things get a bit rough and the UK cops can react violently at times but its normally isolated, not widespread.....thankfully most people realise this hence the big turn-outs at demos in the UK which is internationally-recognised and applauded :-)

Peace and love....

PDG

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Further to the last....

09.03.2013 11:14


Not saying that its OK for the cops to go around smashing people up, however regarding the acquittal:

Releasing Meadows and King from the dock, Judge Douglas Marks Moore said their behaviour on the day of the protest was "on the edge of violent disorder".

"I have no doubt at all that you believe in what you stood for that day," he said. "People who take the law into their own hands, this court will deal with severely."

Source: The 'Guardian'

PDG

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PDG = Fucking Pig Asshole

09.03.2013 11:31

Troll and pig spokesman and pretentious prick, please keep your comments for your GF.

Well done Alfie. Solidarity and support all the way!!

Barry Cade

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@Alfie

09.03.2013 17:29

Next time your on the streets doing violent disorder - I've got my eye on you, you little toerag
We all know yours a scumbag so keep your nose clean or expect justice

anon

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Oh dear Barry....

09.03.2013 18:02

You've let the side down again and have shown the true colours of IndyMedia......

A site full of arrogant, self-centred, misguided, narcissistic, self-congratulating, cretinous, hyper left wing prats whom no-one wishes to be involved with and whose opinions are largely boring and frankly embarrassing. I have been on this site for many years, contributing from time to time however the durge of individuals on here now (yes you and your ilk) have substantially eroded the fantastic, sensible, well-informed, interesting and respected site that was IndyMedia. Cripes...maybe this is the result of it's own success.

Is there any real moderation anymore!?

P & L

PDG

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@PDG

09.03.2013 18:08

PDG, in YOUR opinion, he was PROBABLY there...fighting the police. That is not what the JURY found, so stick to the facts eh? You think he deserved to get bludgeoned for protesting. I think that says more about you than him.

As for, 'Judge Douglas Marks Moore said their behaviour on the day of the protest was "on the edge of violent disorder".' I'm sure the judge would have liked to find him guilty and throw the book at him, as is the usual case, but the JURY found him NOT GUILTY, based on the evidence, so the judge could hardly go against their decision.

You can go elsewhere to express your biased opinions. I suggest the Daily Fail, or The Job, where your bigotted views will be made most welcome.

M

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At M

09.03.2013 18:57

>> PDG, in YOUR opinion, he was PROBABLY there...fighting the police. That is not what the JURY found, so stick to the facts eh? You think he deserved to get bludgeoned for protesting. I think that says more about you than him.

in YOUR opinion, he was PROBABLY bludgeoned for protesting. Thats an allegation, it isn't a fact. Even if he was hit, there is still no evidence that he was hit "..... for protesting". The guy was in the thick of it doing god knows what with barriers and all sorts.


>> As for, 'Judge Douglas Marks Moore said their behaviour on the day of the protest was "on the edge of violent disorder".' I'm sure the judge would have liked to find him guilty and throw the book at him, as is the usual case, but the JURY found him NOT GUILTY, based on the evidence, so the judge could hardly go against their decision.

No. The judge was stating a FACT. Alfie WAS on the edge of violent disorder. Otherwise it wouldn't have taken 3 jurys and many hours of deliberation to work things out. Otherwise, the first jury wouldn't have been hung on the decision if it was so clear cut and you try and claim it was.


>> You can go elsewhere to express your biased opinions. I suggest the Daily Fail, or The Job, where your bigotted views will be made most welcome.

Who put you in charge of censorship then? I suggest you shut the fu*k up and stop criticism people and telling them that they are not entitled to voice their opinions. This is a free country with free speech. No one put you in authority to tell people what to do. If you wanna start with your own little hitler youth trumping around telling us where to go, then people are going to take offence. PDG hasn't done anything illegal. I havn't done anything illegal. So keep your big mouth shut

raving

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IndyMedia censorship

10.03.2013 02:13

And what about the other 4 comments Indymedia! Good gracious. Is this censorship simply because they didn't toe-the-line of what the 'independent' media whishes to portray. Goodness me and you wonder why support for the causes you focus on has been declining significantly over recent years....

PDG

@Media Blackout

10.03.2013 12:08

Media publications write stuff that they know their readers will want to read about.

Eg.
A tractor magazine write abouts tractors
A chicken feed magazine writes about chicken feed
Socialist Worker will write about Alfie
The Guardian will write about Alfie
New Statemen will write about Alfie
Everyone else doesn't because their readers are not interested. They 'could' write about it, but it would be a waste of paper as no one would bother reading the story.

The "Media Blackout" as you call it is not for the reasons you believe (censorship)
It is about writing stuff for the publication that the editors know is going to be of interest to the readership

Therefore -> blame the readers rather than the media if you don't like it.
You might as well have a go at everyone for not looking at it on Google News, as it is freely available to read. The reason is......... not everyone is interested

reality

@reality

10.03.2013 14:43

That is odd. When Alfie and other protesters were arrested and put on trial there was a media frenzy. The same goes for when Charlie Gilmour pleaded guilty. Alfie and Zak are found not guily - media silence. @reality, people eat what they are fed. Stop pretending that the mass media is simply there for the people and has no agenda of its own.

Media watcher

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@Media Watcher

10.03.2013 17:41

Those stories were about violent rioters getting justice -> of interest to the readers of all papers.

Leftist papers -> "Oh no! a rioter his being repressed from his democratic right to smash stuff up" = interesting story

Right wing papers -> "Burn the rioter, he caused all this destruction at tax-payers expense because his demands of free money were ignored" = interesting story

Only leftist papers are interested in the current Alfie story of him being found innocent of the presecution. No one in the right or mid is interested. Hence it is only in media that has a Leftist readership

Its hardly going to be an interesting story to a Daily Mail reader, therefore why would the Daily Mail publish it? What possible reason would there be? It isn't going to sell more copies of the Daily Mail and takes up valuable page space. The shareholders would be pretty p*ssed with the editor and probably sack him. Hence it doesn't happen.

Likewise, you wont find a rightwing story about Muslim pedos written all over the left wing press are you? I don't remember reading much about those Oldham guys in Socialist Worker..... does that mean it was a "Media Blackout"? Of course not.

pfffff

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Whose media?

10.03.2013 20:58

@reality, you seem like some kind of undercover EDL troll. If you are such a fan of "free market" media, why do you spend so much time on Indymedia when you are clearly not interested in its contents. I suggest you go and find a media service that caters to your interests rather than waste your precious time on this site your putting out your Hayekian views on why media corporations choose to publish some stories and bury others. I don't know why someone who just reads media that caters to their interests would be on the SWP website looking for stories about "Muslim pedos" (sic) when they clearly would not be there, according to you. Please stick to the Daily Mail or Red Watch in future.

Media watcher

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IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

well meaning but

10.03.2013 22:37

Because, clearly, all people who you disagree with are trolls. FAIL

Dumb

pfffff

This guy is a hero

10.03.2013 23:39

Let's make no bones about it, this guy is a hero - not because he happened to be on the receiving end of a police truncheon, but because, like tens of thousands of other heros (male and female) he bothered to stand up against the grand theft of public resources which ordinary people have been paying-in to build-up over generations.

His acquittal has been widely reported, but it's not been considered an important story - the general public are slipping into a state of denial as buying-in to the spectacle of acquiescence and mass-consumption is alot easier than facing-up to the decisions they'd have to take responsibility for if they participated in genuinely radical politics

William Cobbett

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iPad 1 - Radical Politics 0

10.03.2013 23:58

"the general public are slipping into a state of denial as buying-in to the spectacle of acquiescence and mass-consumption is alot easier than facing-up to the decisions they'd have to take responsibility for if they participated in genuinely radical politics"

Maybe they arn't interested in radical politics. Maybe they don't see anything wrong. Maybe their viewpoint simply differs from yours? Maybe most people are more interest in football than radical politics.

Also, I think you find many members of this general public do not think Alfie is a superhero.
Consider that the Daily Mail has a 6 million circulation (according to wikipedia). Thats 1 in 10.
Thats a heck of a lot more than the SWP


pfffff

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