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G20 protestor jailed for 2 years

Lenartavicius | 02.12.2009 13:01 | G20 London Summit | Globalisation

A lithuanian protestor was jailed for 2 years yesterday having been convicted of arson.

The 22 year old anarchist apparently tried to set fire to the RBS building eventually managing to damage some window blinds - his actions were shown on TV reports accross the world and this publicity brought a focused attention of the state.

Supporters protested loudly as the Lithuanian protestor was taken down.

Lenartavicius

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

This guy is a hero - address for letters of support?

02.12.2009 13:33

This guy is a hero, we need more rioters like this.

Is there a prison address for people to write to him? Assuming he does want letters of support that is.

anon


solidarity

02.12.2009 13:44

solidarity to the comrade in prison .... actions against the corporate media shud start happening and strong !! because the fascist media many people end up in prison CORPORATE MEDIA LIES ps- this is a good advise NEXT TIME USE A BALACLAVA OR COVER YOUR FACE ....... A.C.A.B.

one of many


Deportation

02.12.2009 14:24


 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/01/g20-protester-jailed-fire-bank

"Because Lenartavicius's sentence is more than 12 months, he faces automatic deportation."

It's not clear whether he would then be imprisoned in Lithuania...?



media watcher


automatic deportation

02.12.2009 14:35

No the deportation will be at the end of his sentence here and won't lead to being jailed there - well not unless he's wanted for something else.

N


...and actually don't think The Guardian is quite right

02.12.2009 14:37

Automatic deportation only applies to non-EU citizens.

This is pretty semantic, cos when they've applied the 'test' for EU ones, they will probably deport him anyway.

N


Oh yes!

02.12.2009 15:43

He set fire... to some window blinds.

That's like, so wadical!

A modern day hero, I say.

Cynic


Contrast

02.12.2009 16:42

I think this sentence can only be viewed in light of the investigation of how the met police acted during the G20 protests. Surely a sacking for covering ID numbers would at very least be comparative to failing to set fire to some blinds. After all, that amount of police officers against unarmed activists have the ability to do a lot of damage when they choose to, if left unchecked. As for Ian Thomlinson...

Opinion


Solidarity

02.12.2009 17:08

anon is right, we need to find out an adress or something to which we can send letters of solidarity. If anyone finds out how to contact him, please post it here so we can do what we can to help. Perhaps a solidarity protest is required, actually.
2 years - the poor man! Setting fire to blinds gets you two years, while the real criminals roam free still, it's a sad state of affairs. I think it's sad that the only militant action that went on at G20 wasn't even done by someone from Britain - we are pathetic. Not, of course, that it matters that he is Lithuanian, it just shows how the shroud of apathy infects us all, even us anarchists can't get militant!
The reaction to his action was quite farcical really, 'oh no! someone broke a window and set fire to a blind!!! terrorist! these evil, dangerous people are so dangerous and stupid!'
I have got to admit that I personally don't think it achieved much, but nevertheless I can't condemn him, and two years!
Solidarity to our anarchist comrade

Isabel


Idiot

02.12.2009 17:22

Yeah, lets support an idiot who endangers people's lives by setting fire to buildings. Real progressive and libetarian!

Real


kropotkin's cousin

02.12.2009 17:55

i was at the g20 protests, at various times and places through the day. i heard not long after that guy got arrested that it was as he was inside the building - thats how they nabbed him as coppers were stationed inside the bank, coming from a different door and grabbing and nicking anyone inside. its highly probable that he did start the fire - but good on im. well done if he did. more of the same please. and his address would be good for a letter of support and a tenna.
(if he didn't do it, its a shame he's doing bird for someone else though.....)
c la vie, eh?

MORE OF THE SAME!

matter of probably-factly


the fuckers

02.12.2009 20:59

Wonder how they caught him, Guardian report says from his "distinctive" hood (he WAS masked at the time) plus use of (human-rights-violating) stop and search - does not sound to me like enough to prove he was the same person, either he pleaded guilty or they used a police "expert" to confuse the court by insisting it was the same person?

Still, it's a warning not to wear distinctive clothes when masking up. Pigs are cunts and this kind of tracking is pretty low even for them, but then again this is the same day they murdered a bystander. We must remember that they ARE evil and there is nothing too low for them to stoop to.

Could have been much worse if they'd managed to make the "endangering life" charge stick - one of the Bradford insurgents got something like 20 years for setting fire to a pub - and in worst case, they have sometimes tried for indefinite sentences for arson though there might have to be 2 incidents for them to do it (some poor kid is serving this kind of preventive life sentence just for setting fire to two bins). Presumably he's not challenging deportation as he is not resident here and came here for the protest. And if he's been serving time since the G20 he could be out in a few months. He might also end up jailed in Lithuania instead of Britain because of prisoner repatriation deals. Seems fishy to me though. Can they stop an EU national travelling to another EU country? Goes against the spirit if not the letter of the abolition of internal borders. Though, probably a moot point unless he wants to come back.

PS someone please delete the pigshit spam which has appeared already, it adds nothing of use and is probably being put up by Netcu or BNP disinformation agents.

fuck pigs


how quickly people forget

02.12.2009 21:06

There were pictures of him smashing the bank window in with a computer as well as setting fire to stuff. This was after he entered this country, slept in a squat and then started smashing our stuff up like he owned the place.

Anyone who sets fire to a building, especially a high tower, is a complete idiot who obviously doesn't care about the lifes of people he may endanger.

Every arsonist, after they have killed 50+ people, says something along the lines of:
"i didn't mean to kill anyone! I just wanted to cause some damage" whilst balling their eyes out in tears. Thats why he got 2 years, not for setting fire to some blinds, but setting fire to a building without giving a shit who he was going to kill.



Max