Liverpool 2011 Census Resistance Newswire Archive

20-10-2012 16:50 | 2 comments

Census case verdict in Liverpool: Donate to support refusers

Andy Manifold was back at Liverpool's Dale Street Magistrates' Court on Friday 19 October to hear the outcome of his trial on a charge of failing to complete the 2011 Census. Six people held a solidarity vigil outside the court beforehand. In the week that the CPS dropped charges against another census refuser in Liverpool, Andy was found guilty, fined and costs were awarded against him.

A number of people are now in the position of having fines taken directly from their benefits. As these aren't enough to live on even before any deductions, please consider making a donation to the solidarity fund if you can afford it, and particularly if you resisted the census but weren't prosecuted. Over 1 in 20 households didn't complete a census return (see this Daily Telegraph article) but only a few hundred people were prosecuted. Donation details below.

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18-10-2012 09:21 | 1 comment

L'pool Census Refuser prosecutions. Sarah Ledsom – case dropped

Last week, after a hearing during which Sarah handed over to the Judge and Prosecution a list of arguments for her case to be dropped the CPS wrote to inform her that the case would indeed be discontinued. None of these arguments included Sarah's health, although she did complain about disability discrimination - including the extra court hearings she'd had to attend because legal aid had been refused and which had caused her additional pain. The grounds cited by the CPS for dropping the case - “your significant ill health” - are significantly unconvincing and a more plausible explanation is that the CPS realised that to continue with the case would expose issues to do with the census they would rather keep out of the public domain, and that some of their more questionable behaviour might be revealed in open court. Read on... Read more >>

17-10-2012 16:01 | 1 comment

L'pool: Support Census Refuser Andy Manifold - court verdict Fri 19 Oct. Join Us.

The costly and pointless shambles of census prosecutions continue to unfold in Liverpool where one verdict is due on Friday while the CPS has suddenly and for distinctly unconvincing reasons discontinued another case that had yet to reach trial. In a third case, where the defendant lost on appeal, the fine is now being collected weekly from the defendant's benefits against his will. There's a lot of information here, so I'll put it into separate posts. First, Andy Manifold, back in court on Friday. Report about Sarah's case here:  https://indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/10/501387.html
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08-10-2012 23:01

Photos from Census Resistance solidarity vigil at Liverpool court

Census refusers Andy Manifold and Sarah Ledsom were at Dale Street Magistrates Court in Liverpool today for their trials in connection with refusing to complete the 2011 Census on grounds of conscience. Neither trial reached a conclusion and further dates have been set.

Join anti-war/solidarity vigils outside the court again from 1pm on Friday 19 October (Andy) and Friday 23 November (Sarah). Read more >>

06-10-2012 10:48

8 October: Two Census Refuser Trials in Liverpool. Vigils outside.

29-09-2012 11:48 | 1 comment

Census resistance update: including court dates

18 months after the 2011 Census, court cases are dragging on against a tiny proportion of those who resisted the Census on anti-war and privacy grounds, mainly but not entirely because of Census data processing contracts with Lockheed Martin (England and Wales) and CACI (Scotland). For background and other reports on this, see the Indymedia census topic, Count Me Out and Ethical Census.

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09-08-2012 17:29

Nagasaki anniversary, Census resistance and Lockheed Martin

The cases of two census resisters opposed to arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin's census involvement continued today in Liverpool with another pretrial hearing at Dale Street Magistrates Court. The hearing coincided with the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in which the company now known as Lockheed Martin made the planes that dropped the bombs.

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08-06-2012 22:45 | 2 additions | 5 comments

Census Refuser Derek Shields' Appeal at the Crown Court in Liverpool (Part 1)

Derek Shields was found guilty of failing to complete the 2011 Census at Liverpool Magistrates court in January.  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/01/491235.html. He explained to the magistrates that he had refused to comply because of Lockheed Martin's involvement in the Census ('I'm not getting into bed with an arms dealer') and his Christian faith. Today, the Crown Court upheld that conviction for reasons that have yet to be given. An application by the prosecution (respondents) for £1,300 in costs was refused. No costs were awarded against Derek. Derek has made it clear that he does not intend to pay the fine imposed by the Magistrates Court. Read more >>

11-05-2012 08:03 | 1 comment

Census refuser court update: CPS drops some cases

An update on some of the court cases involving those who refused to complete the 2011 Census on anti-war and anti-surveillance grounds amongst others. Many objections were directly related to arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin's contract to process census data. The CPS has started dropping cases. This is the latest information we have. Please get in touch if you have more up-to-date info on any of these cases (or others). Read more >>

17-01-2012 20:23 | 4 additions

Liverpool Census Refuser cases: two adjournments, one 'guilty' verdict

Some photos and a short report from today's census refuser court hearing and solidarity vigil in Liverpool.

Two cases adjourned pending the outcome of judicial review in the High Court. One defendant found guilty.
Read more >>

16-01-2012 17:43

Important Update: Census Refuser Trials Tue/Wed this week in Liverpool

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

Support still needed at court on Tuesday morning but two cases adjourned pending outcome of judicial review. Read more >>

08-12-2011 21:00 | 2 additions | 1 comment

Photos from Court: Census refuser cases, Liverpool

Here are some photos from the demo outside Dale Street Magistrates Court in Liverpool where a number of census refuser cases were dealt with this morning. We're aware of at least three defendants pleading not guilty today with their trials being set for 17 and 18 January back at this court (not at Crown Court as reported by the bbc). Full report to follow. Read more >>

08-12-2011 07:16

Liverpool - Census Refuser Solidarity Demo - Venue update

Solidarity demo with Census Refuser Sarah Ledsom at Liverpool Magistrates Court this morning from 9.30am. Demonstrate in support of Sarah, against corporate killers Lockheed Martin and the wars their weapons fuel.

PLEASE NOTE: The court has been telling journos that the case has been moved from Dale St to Victoria St Magistrates Court. Sarah has not been informed of this change, so we'll be at Dale St as planned. However, be prepared to walk round the corner to Victoria Street if you come along and we've gone. Read more >>

14-11-2011 12:46 | 3 comments

8 December, Liverpool: Another Census Refuser's Court Hearing

Sarah Ledsom, 56, of Bromborough, Wirral, a grandmother who suffers with a disabling chronic condition, is due to appear at the Magistrates Court in Liverpool on Thursday 8 December to answer a charge of failing to complete the 2011 Census form. Sarah's objections to completing the census relate to the contract with arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin for processing census data. Sarah refers in particular to the use by Israel of deadly Lockheed Martin weaponry on the people of Palestine. Read more >>

13-11-2011 23:19 | 1 comment

More photos from Friday's Census court hearing and Remembrance

Some photos and a short report from Wrexham, where anti-war and anti-Lockheed Martin conscientious census objector Judith Sambrook appeared in court on 11/11/11. Read more >>