brighton protester acquitted as cops court out bullying kids

On Thursday (1st) a (now) 16-year-old protester was acquitted of assault police and resisting and obstructing arrest at last year’s student kickoff/protests in Brighton, on November 24th, aka "Day X". His real crime? Speaking out against police brutality. There was plenty more of that to follow.

There was a kettle in Bond Street that had slowly started dispersing in different directions. A crowd decided to head towards that glorious Brightonian eyesore - the Amex building (next to cop shop).

Sussex Police managed to be both on the defensive as well as very offensive. The young protester witnessed police pushing other kids around and asked them to stop. They answered him with their truncheons, beating him pretty much everywhere except his face; a totally unnecessary amount of force against a 15-year-old kid. He wasn’t even told he was being arrested. They charged him with assault police, and resisting and obstructing arrest.

During the trial three police officers stood witness to the fact that one officer already had hold of the protester on the ground and yet went on to knee him on the left arm and head. Even though he was handcuffed they restrained him with a baton across his neck. They eventually released him at 2am the next day. He was offered a caution for their actions. The duty solicitor was duly noted and dismissed for proven reliable and most solicitous of solicitors, Kelly's. He was released under bail conditions forbidding him to protest in Brighton.

The defendant had to wait until September this year to stand trial (just when kids are supposed to be back at school studying for their GCSEs). To make matters worse the expected 5-day long trial was booked in to Broghton Magistrate's Court for 3 days in  September, one day on November 9th and another on November 18th, just to prolong the stress. And after all that, the outcome was that the three magistrates unanimously decided in favour of the defendant. Justice? Not exactly a lesson in swift justice.

The age of the defendant was the same age as Alexis Grigoropoulos, the 15 year old kid that still had all options open until the moment two police men chose to kill him. His death fuelled the turmoil that has ensued in Greece since. Just as Mohamed Bouaziz, a young graduate that set himself on fire in Tunisia after his stall was confiscated by the police for not having a licence kicked off the Arab Spring. For the Occupy movement it was Scott Olsen, the Marine Hero, who got shot in the face by... yeah you guessed it, the police. How much police action will it take for our reaction?