Summary of arrests from March 26th

147 people charged with offences

• 138 people charged with aggravated trespass in connection with the incident at Fortnum & Mason. Due to appear on various dates at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court  (first being 9th May)
• 3 people charged with criminal damage
• 2 people charged with assaulting a police officer
• 1 person charged with S4 Public Order Act (threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour)
• 1 person charged with being drunk and disorderly
  

In custody

• a 17 year old male accused of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place; and going equipped for criminal damage (he appeared in youth court on the 28th March)
• Omar Ibrahim appeared in court on 28th March and pleaded guilty to assault police and was sentenced to 4 weeks in prison. He was also remanded in custody charged with violent disorder (S2 Public Order Act)

Not yet charged

• 47 people are bailed to return to police stations during April pending further inquiries. Seven of those are connected with Fortnum and Mason, 40 in connection with other incidents.

Other

• 3 people were cautioned for criminal damage
• 2 people released with no further action
• 1 person arrested on Friday night and charged under s3 Explosive Substances Act. This prosecution requires consent of the Attorney General and the C.P.S have until 4th April to obtain it.

Were you arrested at the Anti Cuts demonstration on March 26th?

Please ring Green and Black Cross on 079 4654 1511 so we can advise you as to your next steps.

Defendants’ meeting
Saturday 2nd April – 2pm
University of London Student Union
Malet Street
WC1E 7HY
Directions

Were you either charged with an offence or bailed to return to a police station soon? We know it’s a worrying time and information can be difficult to come by. We also know from previous experience that it can be isolating and intimidating. The best way to deal with this is to meet others in the same position as yourself and stick together. The police want you to feel isolated and alone – but meeting and talking with other people facing the same pressures, and working together, can make everyone stronger.

So, we are calling a DEFENDANTS’ MEETING on Saturday 2nd April – 2pm – University of London Student Union, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY

It could help your case to attend and it will definitely help your confidence. This is a meeting for DEFENDANTS ONLY. If you are not a defendant or accompanying a defendant you WILL be asked to leave.

If you haven’t been arrested, but you are worried you MAY yet be arrested, or if your face has been publicised as somebody the police want to question, it’s probably best to stay away. BUT don’t be put off from coming if you have already been arrested: attending meetings does not breach your bail conditions.

There will be people with legal knowledge, and we can talk about police use of bail conditions. But, the major part of the meeting will be for defendants to come together and decide if they want a defence campaign, and if so, what type of campaign they want: campaigns like this need to be led by the defendants themselves.

Please pass this on to anybody you know who may have been arrested and charged or on police bail, and please circulate as widely as possible, to anybody who may know of anybody arrested.

Above all – DON’T BE AFRAID! Many people support you and are willing to help, some of us have been in this position ourselves in the past. The police are not all-powerful, they can be challenged, and even getting charged does not mean you will be convicted. Defence campaigns in the past have helped people to win in court, and helped to win support for people facing charges.

This meeting is being organised by
Legal Defence and Monitoring Group www.ldmg.org.uk
Green & Black Cross www.greenandblackcross.org

Source of arrest figures: Met police