GMW: Greenpeace terror trial begins/New campaign for George Fox 6

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GMW: Greenpeace terror trial begins/New campaign for George Fox 6

" GM WATCH " <info

Thu, 9 Jun 2005 16:33:18 +0100

 

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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1.Greenpeace goes on trial in terror case

2.New campaign for George Fox 6

 

COMMENT

 

Couple of follow ups below on earlier items on attempts to suppress

protest.

 

Unbelievably, Greenpeace has now gone on trial in Denamrk as the first

organization charged under new Danish anti-terror laws introduced after

the 9/11 attacks.

 

Their heinous crime, you may remember, was going into the headquarters

of the Danish Agriculture association and hanging up a banner against

GMOS! (item 1)

 

You may also remember the George Fox 6 - the students and graduates at

Britain's University of Lancaster who are facing charges of criminal

trespass over peacefully protesting a meeting on campus (in the George

Fox building) involving arms dealers, Lord Sainsbury, GM firm Dupont, and

Shell - the devastators of the Niger delta, amongst others.

 

The critical point about the criminal trespass law the protesters are

being charged under (Section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order

Act 1994) is that the offence depends on the landowner (ie the

University) considering that criminal trespass has taken place. It is

therefore

entirely down to the University to proceed with this prosecution or

cause the charges to be dropped.

 

At the very least, please sign the on-line petition they've just

launched - it needs more signatures! http://www.petitiononline.com/gfox6/

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1.Greenpeace goes on trial

The Courier Mail, 09 June 05

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15566565%255E1702\

,00.html

 

THE environmentalist group Greenpeace has gone on trial in a Copenhagen

court as the first organization charged under new Danish anti-terror

laws introduced after the attacks in New York and Washington on September

11, 2001.

 

Greenpeace was charged under the new legislation last month following a

protest by a group of activists in October 2003 at the Copenhagen

headquarters of the Danish Agriculture association against genetically

modified organisms (GMOs) used in the Scandinavian country's booming pork

industry.

 

The individual protestors, who entered the Danish Agriculture building

and reportedly hung a banner reading " No to GMO swine " from a window,

have been accused of violating domestic peace.

 

The new terror legislation allows the courts to hold organizations

responsible for the actions of their individual members, which

according to

prosecutors clears the way for the charges brought against Greenpeace.

 

The group has meanwhile claimed that the charges constitute a violation

of the new laws, which it insists are meant to lay responsibility for

terrorist acts on the organizations that support them, and not punish

" peaceful " groups for activist protests.

 

" When the terrorism laws were introduced, the rule was that

organizations could be punished for doing something illegal. But it

was clear that

the aim was to target organizations that supported terrorism, "

Greenpeace lawyer Steen Beck said in an interview on Danish public radio.

 

" Now, they are trying to use the laws against a peaceful group like

Greenpeace, " he added.

 

Parties in opposition to Denmark's right-leaning coalition government

have also criticized the application of the laws, pointing out that they

risk stifling the political debate in the country.

 

" Greenpeace hopes that the court will acquit the organization on the

basis that the law is not and should not be directed towards the civil

society, " Greenpeace Denmark spokesman Sebastian Ostenfeld Jensen said.

 

The trial was scheduled to wrap up on Friday, but it remained unclear

when a verdict would be handed down.

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2.New campaign for George Fox 6

 

georgefox6

georgefox6

Phone-in week: Sign our petition and Phone Lancaster

University

 

Dear Supporters,

 

Don't let them ignore our letters! Phone Lancaster University June

20th-24th: 01524 592001.

 

Despite a national letter writing campaign in support of the students

charged for peacefully protesting against a conference involving arms

dealers and GM companies, the university are refusing to engage with our

concerns. They are

sending a duplicated response to our letters and emails, suggesting

that most of them are not even read. It's time to step up the campaign!

We are calling for people to phone up during the week June 20th-24th.

 

Please ask them to:

 

1. Drop all charges against the George Fox Six.

 

2. Adopt a proper freedom of speech policy which protects the right to

protest on campus.

 

3. Sever links with arms dealers, GM companies and other unethical

organisations.

 

Phone calls are harder to ignore than emails, so please call the

Vice-Chancellor's office on 01524 592001.

 

We also now have a petition to sign at

http://www.petitiononline.com/gfox6/

 

Please circulate this, and the phone-in campaign, among your contacts.

 

What else can you do?

- If you are a member of a union, political party or non-governmental

organisation, please ask your organisation to support us. See our

website for a sample motion.

- Support us officially by letting us put your logo on our website.

- Link your website to ours, and to the petition.

- Inform all your members about the phone-in campaign and petition in

your newsletter.

- Write a short statement of support we can put on our website.

- Send out a national press release during the phone-in week - contact

us for a draft version.

- Suggest other organisations and/or public figures who may support us.

- Any other ideas?

 

A few people have asked us about the standard reply the university have

been sending to everyone. The letter calls the George Fox Six

criminals and implies that they used intimidation, but to quote one of

the six:

" The university is accusing us of intimidation - but our actions were

peaceful. The university itself is using intimidation to try to suppress

criticism of its links with arms dealers, GM companies and other highly

unethical multinationals " . Your support so far has been brilliant but

if they're ignoring us let's give them a call.

 

Thanks for your support,

The George Fox Six Supporters Group

 

More information: http://www.free-webspace.biz/GeorgeFox/

 

Please sign the on-line petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/gfox6/

 

Tel: 01524 383012

 

 

 

 

 

 

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