GANDALF Convicted of Conspiracy

by lalelet

The sting of the verdict from Britain's "GANDALF" trial hit the alternative press below the belt on November 13, when three editors from Green Anarchist (GA) magazine and the Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group Newsletter (ALFSG) were sentenced to three years in prison. The government brought charges against the editors for "conspiracy to incite persons unknown to commit criminal damage." Noel Molland, Steve Booth and Saxon Burchnall-Wood began their sentences the next day. A fourth person, Simon Russell, editor of ALFSG , was found not guilty.

The GANDALF trial (named for "GA and ALF") lasted nearly three months and cost £2 million. It was the culmination of "Operation Washington," which at its height involved some 60 police officers and 55 raids across England on individuals, groups and bookstores between 1995 and 1996. The GANDALF defendants claim they were infiltrated by a secret police provocateur who assisted in the writing of many of the articles found to be "inciting" by the court. Among those raided was one person whose only crime was purchasing a Green Anarchist t-shirt by mail.

The case has brought attention to Britain's conspiracy laws which, according to State Watch, are "the most repressive in Europe." Under the prosecution's interpretation of the laws, just reporting the facts about animal liberation or eco-defense actions constitutes incitement to commit criminal acts. Judge David Selwood even called the defendants "terrorists" as he sentenced them before the jury in Portsmouth. The defense claims that the military connections of Judge Selwood, who spent most of his career as a Major-General in the British Army, made him unfit to hear the case. "It's no coincidence that Portsmouth was chosen [for the trial]," said one defendant. "It's a highly conservative military-dependent area with the second highest conviction rate in the country." What's more, five of the jurors had military or arms trade connections.

All three of the editors are appealing their convictions, and two others are awaiting their trials. ALF Press Officer Robin Webb and ALFSG editor Simon Russell were both brought to trial and acquitted, though Webb's acquittal is under appeal by the Crown Prosecution. Another GA defendant, Paul Rogers, had his case postponed due to a witness dispute, but it will be resumed next year.

The justice meted out in the trial is dubious. Using "Public Interest Immunity" as a smoke screen for the activities of the British security services, the judge and prosecution withheld many documents from the defense and the jury.

The GA journalists committed their "crimes" by reporting on ALF activity in New Zealand, England, Australia, Germany and Finland. The verdict can be seen as nothing less than an attempt to stifle the voice of dissent and still the physical attempts of those fighting the injustices against the planet. If we're censored today, tomorrow we'll be told what we can and cannot read. Unless we're fearless in our reporting and relentless in our support of the GANDALF sacrificial lambs, who knows who will be persecuted next.

The GANDALF verdict must rouse us to organize, to let every tyrannical state know that with each attempt at suppression they only fan the flames. Their flimsy cover is blown when they condemn journalists for reporting on direct action but support governmental violence. They can shut down a publication, but they can never smother the struggle for justice, green or otherwise. As Molly Ivins said, freedom fighters don't always win, but they're always right.

The GANDALF Defendants Campaign can be contacted at POB 66, Stevenage, SG1 2TR, United Kingdom. Write to the prisoners individually at HMP Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester S022 5DS. Always include prisoner numbers: Saxon Burchall-Wood CK4321, Noel Molland CK4322, Stephen Booth CK4323. Check for updates on the SchNEWS news service website at www.cbuzz.co.uk/SchNEWS or in future issues of the Earth First! Journal.