Troops Out Now! Jailed-for fighting police frame ups

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NIGEL LEE, a Labour Party member and housing activist in Nottingham,. has been jailed for four months. His crime - to have exposed the police and judicial frame-ups of youths arrested during the July riots.

Nigel is a tenant in the Hyson Green complex where the riots started in Nottingham. He was arrested, like many others, just tor being on the streets and seeing what the police were doing.

In the police cells and the courts he witnessed the police telling people that they had no right to legal representation and that they'd better plead guilty.

Youths were pleading guilty to crimes they had not committed in the hope of getting off with a fime, and then being sent to prison for up to six months.

Police instructed the specially-chosen magistrates not to allow people to change their plea when they realised the severity of the charges.

Nigel's evidence to Labour county councillors on these frame-ups, supplemented by the evidence of solicitors present during the trials, led to the Policy and Resources Committee of the Council agreeing three weeks ago to provide financial aid for appeals against the prison sentences.

Frame-up

Furious about the growing criticism, the police finally stitched together their frame-up of Nigel. On a charge of "threatening behaviour', , Nigel was sent to Lincoln Prison for four months despite prosecution evidence from police which had him wearing different coloured clothing.

Further evidence of the political frame-up was provided by Tory councillors at the full County Council meeting on September 29. In an attempt to reverse the decision of the Policy and Resources Committee, Tory councilors repeatedly attacked Nigel's political work.

Councillor Howard Noble even brought up a letter signed by 30 Labour Party members, defending the Labour Committee Ireland against the witchhunt by Don Concannon's supporters before the LCI's march through Mansfield in July and pointed out Nigel's name amongst the 30.

It is difficult to believe that Tory councillors are monitoring the activities of individual labour activists as carefully as that.

Agencies

Far more likely, details of Nigel's activities are being given them by 'agencies close to the police' A 'Free Nigel Lee Campaign' has started up demanding his immediate release a call that has already been supported by Beeston CLP.

Nigel is a paigner in the party for democracy and against the cuts, and the campaign already has the support of many individuals in and out of the Labour Party. A protest meeting is being held in Hyson Green on Thursday 15 October.

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Organiser, Thursday Organıser