A call for solidarity from Deepa Naik: END THE CRIMINALISATION OF PROTEST / THE CASE OF TRENTON OLDFIELD

| tag: London

This morning Trenton Oldfield will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court for his protest at the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. He faces a potential custodial sentence for his direct action against government cuts and a culture of elitism in the UK. This statement, written together with Defend The Right To Protest, calls for an end to the criminalisation of protest. Select list of signatories below. 

 On the 7th of April 2012, Trenton Oldfield undertook a direct-action protest at the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The aim of his protest was to focus attention on the long-standing and entirely unjust inequalities in British society that are being severely exacerbated by government cuts and reductions in civil liberties. Trenton chose the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race because it is a symbol of class, privilege and elitism in Britain.

An astonishing 70% of the cabinet in the current government are Oxford or Cambridge graduates. This government is protecting the privileges of the wealthy while cutting the essential necessities of the majority and the poor and reducing people's rights and freedoms. In the three days before Trenton's protest, the coalition government (1) received royal assent for its bill to privatise the NHS, (2) introduced the Communications Data Bill to legalise surveillance of all digital communications of UK subjects, and (3) called on people to 'shop their neighbours' if they suspected they might protest at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Trenton's protest aimed at drawing attention to these injustices. He swam into the course of the boat race. The race was halted and restarted 25 minutes later. The action was seen by an international audience but it affected just 18 rowers and a handful of event organisers on a closed river, on a long weekend. The direct-action protest was wholly consistent with Trenton's decade+ work in London on addressing this city's unnecessary poverty and inequalities. The audience for the free event experienced a minor delay of 25 minutes. The BBC coverage ended at its pre-scheduled time-slot. Not a single complaint was received from the public by either the Metropolitan police or the BBC.

Trenton was initially charged with Section 5 of the 'public order act'. Hansard reports reveal that government ministers asked the police commissioner to increase the charge so that a custodial sentence could be achieved. On the morning of his first court appearance (23 April 2012) Trenton's charge was significantly increased via the ancient common law charge of 'public nuisance' under which conviction can result in life in prison. On the 26 September 2012 Trenton was found guilty of causing 'public nuisance' for undertaking his protest.

The recent conviction and sentencing of Russian feminist rock collective Pussy Riot to two years in prison for their protest was rightly met with shock and anger for the lack of tolerance towards dissent under Putin. The very same lack of tolerance towards dissent seems to be happening in Britain as Trenton waits for sentencing on the 19th October 2012.

Defend the Right to Protest extend our solidarity to Trenton and wholeheartedly believe that he should not have faced criminal charges for exercising his right to protest. We are concerned about the change in the original charge seemingly due to political and media pressure. To us it is clear that this protest against inequality and elitism does not warrant a custodial sentence, least of all possibly years in prison. Defend the Right to Protest are also alarmed that this charge might be levied against protesters in the future. The only motive we can see for the CPS selecting this outdated legislation is that it offers courts the chance to hand down sentences up to life in prison.

After his original verdict Trenton made the following statement:
"As inequalities increase in Britain and across much of the world, so does the criminalisation of protest; my solidarity is with everyone everywhere working towards more equitable societies."

We urge an end to this wholly inappropriate over-punishment of Trenton and the criminalisation of protest.

Hannah Dee, Chair, Defend the Right to Protest
John Carlos, 1968 Olympics Black Power salute
Adbusters, CultureJammers
Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters
David Burgess, 2003 'No War' Sydney Opera House
Danny Dorling, author Inequalities: Why Social Inequalities Persist
Gloria Morrison, Joint Enterprise Not Guilty By Association
John Pilger, journalist and author The Rulers of the World
Mai Pal, Anti-capitalist Initiative
Marc McGowan, Artist Taxi Driver
Fanny Malinen and Steve Rushton, Bread and Circuses
David Wearing, Department of Development Studies, SOAS
Caroline Day, Save Leyton Marshes
Dan Hind, author The Return of the Public
Dave Zirin, sports writer, activist, author Bad Sports: A People's History of Sports
Ilan Wall, Critical Legal Thinking
John Pilger, journalist and author The Rulers of the World
Mike Wells, Games Monitor
Kris O'Donnell, Occupy London
Les Levidow, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities
Marc Perelman, author Barbaric Sport: A Global Plague
Mike Davis, author Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism
Nadine O'Connor, Campaign director Fathers 4 Justice
Pauline van Mourik Broekman, Director Mute Publishing
Simon Hardy, Anti-capitalist Initiative
Spacehijackers
Stefan Dickers, Bishopsgate Institute
Simon Worthington, Co-publisher Mute

To add your name to this list,

please email naik_d@hotmail.com

Deepa Naik

 (This Is Not A Gateway) 

&

Defend The Right To Protest