Parents protest against riot sentences
imc sweden | 23.01.2002 08:59
Parents of around 40 of the demonstrators participating during the protests in Gothenburg protest against the sentences in trial of the so-called "information agency".
Parents of around 40 of the demonstrators participating during the protests in Gothenburg will this tuesday turn themselves in. They do it in a protest against the sentences in trial of the so-called "information agency".
The youths in the trial were sentenced to between three and four years of imprisonment for dealing with collecting information from mass media, own observers and the police radio along with forwarding the information via cell phone calls and SMS. Last week the case was brought up in the court of appeal.
- The sentences are terribly severe. We felt that we had to protest in some way, says Margreth Heirås, parent and initiator of today's action. The protests concern partly the length of the imposed sentences and partly that the young people were sentenced as a group and that no
case was brought up by itself.
Like many other parents Margreth Heirås was in the streets during the EU summit and followed what happened. In connection with Hvidtfeldtska school being surrounded, she rang around to folks encouraging them to walk up to the school to observe what was happening. Margreth considers she made exactly the same thing as the young people in the information agency.
- Are they criminals then I am too, she says and continues:
- Information centrals have always existed at demonstrations. In my days we had those too. Back then we didn't have cell phones but we called each other via phone lists.
The police reports will be made at the police office at 16.00 Tuesday afternoon. The parents participating in the action are part of the network "Parents 2001" that was formed after the EU summit to support and help the young people that were participating in the demonstrations and got in trouble.
- We are around forty people participating. There are both parents and a few young people, says Heirås.
The youths in the trial were sentenced to between three and four years of imprisonment for dealing with collecting information from mass media, own observers and the police radio along with forwarding the information via cell phone calls and SMS. Last week the case was brought up in the court of appeal.
- The sentences are terribly severe. We felt that we had to protest in some way, says Margreth Heirås, parent and initiator of today's action. The protests concern partly the length of the imposed sentences and partly that the young people were sentenced as a group and that no
case was brought up by itself.
Like many other parents Margreth Heirås was in the streets during the EU summit and followed what happened. In connection with Hvidtfeldtska school being surrounded, she rang around to folks encouraging them to walk up to the school to observe what was happening. Margreth considers she made exactly the same thing as the young people in the information agency.
- Are they criminals then I am too, she says and continues:
- Information centrals have always existed at demonstrations. In my days we had those too. Back then we didn't have cell phones but we called each other via phone lists.
The police reports will be made at the police office at 16.00 Tuesday afternoon. The parents participating in the action are part of the network "Parents 2001" that was formed after the EU summit to support and help the young people that were participating in the demonstrations and got in trouble.
- We are around forty people participating. There are both parents and a few young people, says Heirås.
imc sweden