Trial of the Stansted Defendants
In March 2017, 15 people put their bodies on the tarmac to halt the forced deportation of 57 people on a deportation charter flight to Ghana and Nigeria.
The flight was rescheduled and left some days later, with around 34 fewer on board. This gave more time for those individuals not deported to find legal support, as well as amplifying the voices of communities affected by the government's cruel deportation policy, offering hope in the face of a deeply unjust system.
This autumn, these 15 campaigners will be tried under a terror-related charge at Chelmsford Crown Court, in an 8 week trial, facing up to life imprisonment for their actions.
Trial Resumes: Monday 1st October
In March 2018, after months of preparation, and a huge amount of support and effort from Chelmsford and beyond, the defendants and their support were ready to undergo 6-weeks in court, followed by the possibility of prison sentences.
The organisational and financial implications that arose as a result of that trial were extensive, and End Deportations is deeply grateful for all of the support we have received to date.
Regrettably, in the projected 3rd week of the trial, after many delays, and what felt like a false start, the judge dismissed the jury, and adjourned the trial, to begin again on 1st October.
There is a reporting ban on the context of this, so further detail will have to follow.
Join us in approaching the delayed trial as an important opportunity to extend the popular outrage over the Windrush Scandal into an exposee on the ongoing brutalities of charter flight mass deportation.
The Stansted Trial will bring more of the truth about the Home Office's racist policies to public attention and help us move towards a future where these policies and the violence they impose are a thing of the past.
Join the Solidarity Demo!
JOIN US outside Chelmsford Crown Court to support the defendants, to demand the charges are dropped, and to demand an end to deportation charter flights. Find out more on our facebook event page
*WHEN*
8:30, MONDAY 1ST OCTOBER. Please arrive promptly or early.
*WHERE*
Chelmsford Crown Court,
New Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1EL
*WHY*
COME READY TO EXPRESS YOUR SOLIDARITY, ENERGY, LOVE AND RAGE, AS WE RALLY IN SUPPORT OF THE STANSTED DEFENDANTS, AND AGAINST DEPORTATION CHARTER FLIGHTS.
*TRANSPORT*
You can book your ticket on a coach from London online here
To find out about a minibus from oxford call (01865) 558145
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