{"id":555377,"date":"2022-03-14T17:34:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T17:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1568312"},"modified":"2022-03-14T17:34:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T17:34:43","slug":"a-woman-tried-to-protect-others-from-police-violence-today-she-was-sentenced-to-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/03\/14\/a-woman-tried-to-protect-others-from-police-violence-today-she-was-sentenced-to-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"A woman tried to protect others from police violence. Today she was sentenced to prison."},"content":{"rendered":"
Kill the Bill protester Jasmine York has been sentenced to prison after putting her body on the line to defend women from police violence.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s one of 82 people<\/a> who were arrested \u2013 most of them for riot \u2013 following a demonstration in Bristol against the draconian police bill<\/a>. York has been sentenced to nine months, half of which will be served in prison. Meanwhile, 14 others have already received prison sentences for taking part in the protest.<\/p>\n A jury found Jasmine guilty<\/a> of arson. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) insisted that during the demonstration Jasmine pushed a rubbish bin towards a burning police car, and the bin added fuel to the fire. But Jasmine insisted she was using the bin to try to create a barrier between her and the police. Crucially, there was no evidence<\/a> whatsoever that the bin in question ever caught fire or fuelled anything. Despite this, she’s going to prison.<\/p>\n The Bristol Anti-Repression Campaign (BARC) is made up of a number of Kill the Bill defendants and their supporters. It said of the sentencing:<\/p>\n We’re proud of Jasmine, who tried hard to protect other women from the police and was severely beaten by them herself. We’re glad that she was found unanimously not guilty of riot, and also not guilty of a more serious form of arson [with intent to endanger lives] in her trial last month.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The CPS has spent ample resources prosecuting Kill the Bill defendants. It has painted them as an angry “mob” that worked together to beat up police officers and set fire to police vehicles.<\/p>\n In his sentencing, judge James Patrick stated:<\/p>\n You were very well aware of damage caused to police equipment which is paid for by the community, for the benefit of the community. Rather than standing by, you played your part by continuing the lawlessness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yet in her week-long trial, the jury saw ample evidence of the police themselves behaving unlawfully. They saw evidence of officers cracking the edges of their shields onto people’s heads, and officers hitting and kicking protesters while on the ground. The jury saw photos of Jasmine’s dark bruises at the hands of the police. Her defence barrister Russell Fraser emphasised that “time and time again” Jasmine put her own body in harm’s way to protect others.<\/p>\n During her trial, Fraser said:<\/p>\n The one consistent thing [Jasmine] does is that she comes to the aid of other women. Consider the woman thrown back into the crowd. She moves across the line for that reason. There\u2019s not many of us who would do that sort of thing, you might think.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nDubious arson conviction<\/h5>\n
Protecting women<\/h5>\n