Protesters who blockaded London arms trade fair acquitted -

[JohnyCanuck]

after judge sees evidence of illegal weapons on sale.

There is compelling evidence that arms were illegally being sold at the world’s biggest arms fair which takes place in London, a judge has ruled.

Acquitting eight anti-arms trade protesters who tried to disrupt the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) event at Stratford's ExCel Centre last September, District Judge Angus Hamilton accepted the defendants’ argument that they had tried to prevent a greater crimes, such as genocide and torture, from occurring by blocking a road to stop tanks and other armoured vehicles from arriving at the exhibition centre.

snip

The judge said the evidence of illegal weapons sales had been left unchallenged by the prosecution and that such sales would potentially break arms control laws.

“{There is} clear, credible and largely unchallenged evidence from the expert witnesses of wrongdoing at DSEI and compelling evidence that it took place in 2015," he said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dsei-protesters-acquitted-london-arms-fair-illegal-weapons-sales-a6985766.html

[gratuitous]

1. Wow

Usually when protesters get in the way of this business-as-usual stuff, the court doesn't listen to their reasons for doing it. It's usually ruled irrelevant or outside the court's discretion to consider or inadmissible or something else. Unchallenged evidence of illegal weapons sales. I wonder if the powers that be will be bringing any charges against the merchants of death running these distribution hubs for genocide and torture?

[JohnyCanuck]

2. I tend to doubt it. n/t

[gratuitous]

3. I tend to agree

But this ruling is a step in the right direction. Maybe the day is a little closer when the arms merchants don't run quite so wide open.