Black boy with a big mouth

I attended the best public meeting I've been to in a long time last night. It was organised by SACC and Glasgow Stop the War on the issue of civil liberties. They actually called it a few months ago, possibly with sage like precision on what a topical issue it would be right now.  They could not though have predicted how things would be panning out for Aamer Anwar at the moment.

A number of the speakers got standing ovations, including Atif Siddique's brother Asif and Rose Gentle. A member of the audience pointed out that the issue of the war and terrorism were going to continue, not least because so many years in, it is now personally affecting so many families here at home including some of those in attendance.

Loudest cheers were for Aamer, who said he was humbled by it all, which I'm sure he'll forgive me when I jest that the solidarity must have been quite something then. Many of his most famous clients were there - the Siddique family and the Chokhars. Others such as union members who he'd represented on strikes, refugees he'd campaigned for, and others who had simply been charged for making prank calls. At one point I expected Michael Aspel to pop out with a red book.

Aamer finished his speech by recalling the incident in November 1991 when he was beaten mercilessly by some of "Strathclyde's finest" as he puts it. The police officers who smashed his teeth in said "This is what happens to black boys with big mouths". The lesson, Aamer said, was that "This black boy's big mouth just got bigger".

My prediction is that Aamer will still be practicing law after his forthcoming hearing. Judging by his backing, he better be.

Comments

[GMS]

Aamer Anwar is a Class A pillock. He had a year and half to think about what he'd say after the trial, and what he came out with was a diatribe bearing little relation to reality.

"Looking for answers of the internet", I think not. I don't actually think Siddique should have gone to jail, but to pretend that he was engaging in idle curiosity was dishonest. To boot, he claimed this was what ordinary young Muslims do all over the country, thereby incriminating the whole Muslim community for his own ends.

And his ends? Self-publicity. After the Glasgow Airport attack he made a song and dance of how everyone were making themselves look silly by being relieved that the perpetrators were not Scottish born - we had a trial of a Scottish born terrorist coming up after all. Hardly a stout defence of his client.

Then he comes out after the trial, and instead of a thorough denunciation of the Terrorism Acts that stitched up Siddique and the kind of measured analysis and insight the world was crying out for, nonsense about the trial being after the Glasgow Airport attack (it was Anwar who repeatedly asked for the trial to be delayed since last year) and it being driven by the state. Weak lawyering, badly letting down his client.

People should be mobilising campaigns for Atif Siddique. Instead they're all fawning over his lawyer.

[Ted]

I wouldn't worry about Anwar. He's a pretty boy. He'll be very popular in prison.

It's hard to disagree with GMS's assertions that Anwar is a bloody fool who had a long time to think about what to say and then pathetically tried to indirectly blame his client.

Anwar has been seen as a rabble-rouser for certain elements in the Asian community and stirring up racial tensions. He's been on the radar for a while and the fact he was dumb enough to hang himself means he really only has himself to blame. He's not some drunken oaf in a pub giving vent to his pet theories; he's supposed to be a lawyer and he was speaking after a fairly public trial. What was he thinking? Contempt of court is a very serious charge, BTW, esp. for a lawyer.

[joe90]

I wouldn't worry about Anwar. He's a pretty boy. He'll be very popular in prison.
- Approval of male rape and sexual abuse whilst in the custody of British authorities - how uplifting and moral can you get, especially from someone who calls freedom of speech 'contempt of court'.

Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut as well, otherwise Ted and his bar-room lawyer mates will come round and rape and abuse me, just like his pals in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and Bagram Airport!

He's not some drunken oaf in a pub giving vent to his pet theories
- Says someone who approves of male rape just becuase one of our male citizens has been given a custodial prison sentence. You've been watching too many American movies, which portray Yanqui prisons as they actually are, where male rape is endemic and designed to be part of the American prison system - just like it is for the CIA system.

How about rape for female Scottish prisoners Ted, is that ok by you too?

As for GMS,
first they claim 'it's a fair cop gov' and that Siddique is a terrorist, but then they make a claim for the
..Terrorism Acts that stitched up Siddique.
So which is it GMS,
Siddique is a bona fide terrorist or the terrorist laws are a load of crap, just like you, or don't you know?

[Esther Sassaman]

Um, the meeting was chock full of support for the Siddique family, GMS. The two campaigns go together - both relate to issues of freedom of speech and expression.