HSBC-3 Protest Was A Rebellion Against State Control
MARK Pearson and Patrick Reay are outside Newcastle Magistrates Court. They are part of the trio called HSBC-3. On December 18, the two men staged a sat-in at the HSBC branch in Grey Street as part of the protest against a hike in tuition fees.
But wasn’t it really a protest against state control? And if it was, our sympathies are with them. Would the men’s actions become an issue if the police did not arrive to stamp their authority?
The youth is not apathetic and compliant. The youth will pick their rows and then very possibly win.
The third member of the trio is called Toby Hobbs. He was arrested but released without charge.
In court, Pearson denies a breach of the Public Order Act of 1986 and Reay denies charges of obstructing a police officer who was arresting Pearson. The HSBC-2 face trial on March 28. They have been released on unconditional bail until then.
Says Mr Pearson:
“I should never have been arrested in the first place. I was just expressing my right to demonstrate peacefully. When the police told me to leave HSBC bank I did, peacefully. I did nothing wrong, but I was arrested anyway.
“People have the right to demonstrate. And they have seen that whichever party they vote for, no matter what campaign promises they make, once they’re in power they do something else completely. The arrest and the trial is a tool they have to isolate and inconvenience people and to dissuade people from protest. But we are not put off and we have not been deterred and will continue to express our freedoms.”
You can follow their cause here.
Posted: 7th, January 2011 | In: Politicians Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
