NYC PLAYS HARDBALL WITH ANTI-WAR DEFENDANTS
by David Bloom
A New York City judge has imposed unprecedentedly harsh penalties on a
group of anti-war protesters who blocked traffic on 5th Ave. last spring,
in a move activists warn is intended as a message for those planning to
demonstrate at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Four of the
protesters still await sentencing and may face jail time.
On March 26, 2003, 16 protestors were arrested for blocking traffic on
Fifth Ave. at 47th Street--near the New York headquarters of Israel's Bank
Leumi--to protest the invasion of Iraq and the recent death of non-violent
activist Rachel Corrie in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer. On May
12, 2004, citing the defendents' history of activism, the judge in the case
imposed unprecedented penalties and fines. Judge Robert Stoltz called the
protest "an imposition" of protesters' opinions on "the people of New York
City," and told his courtroom that people attend political demonstrations
out of "lack of confidence." Twelve activists were slapped with to a total
of 90 days community service, and fines totalling more than $2,000. Four
protesters--who face potential jail time--still await sentencing on May 26.
"For our nonviolent protest, we are being punished more severely than the
police officers who murdered Amadou Diallo," said defendant Lysander
Puccio. "Meanwhile,
President Bush is under investigation for the lies and manipulations used
to launch the war on Iraq, the war we were protesting."
No comparable protest case has received such heavy penalties in New York
City in decades. The DA's refusal to plea-bargain with activist defendants
also marked a first.
In the closely-watched case, Judge Stolz refused the DA's request for jail
time for any defendant with past arrest records--a recommendation also
deemed unprecedented by New York attorneys, many of whom called it a
violation of ethics and criminal procedure.
But Judge Stolz did focus his invective on defendants with a history of
protest. Stolz said he singled out two defendants for $500 fines and longer
community service requirements--ten days cleaning city parks--because they
had also protested the forced federal registration of Muslim and South
Asian immigrants last May. Although the two were arrested at that protest,
their cases were conditionally dismissed and sealed.
Activists say they believe the severity of the penalites, as well as the
unusual intensity of the DA's prosecution, was intended to scare protesters
away from the city in advance of the Republican National Convention. They
also cited partisan opposition to the message of their protest.
"Our protest voiced criticism of Israel in front of an Israeli bank in a
neighborhood that is financially and politically supportive of Israel and
aggressive US foreign policy,"
said defendant Eric Monse. "In the US, we have the right to vote, to
freedom of movement, while we supply Israel with billions of dollars
annually to deny those rights to Palestinians. We protested as Americans
who bear the heavy responsibility of our government's ill-conceived policy
of war and occupation. We are at fault not if we choose to speak out, but
only if we remain silent."
Communities around the city view the District Attorney's effort to paint
protest as criminal activity as setting the stage for an estimated 1,000
arrests a day during the Republican Convention, slated for Madison Square
Garden starting Aug. 31. At a press conference with the defendants, City
Councilmember Margarita Lopez refused to be deterred by City efforts to
chill dissent, stating: "If that's what it takes to protest the Republican
National Convention, I am ready to be arrested."
See also:
M26.org
March 26 fifth avenue blockade/protest
--------------
Special to WORLD WAR 3 REPORT, May 15, 2004
Reprinting permissible with attribution
WW3Report.com
Current Issue