from email received : Wed, 20 Dec 2000
and SchNEWS 288 : 22nd Dec 2000
20 people occupied the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) offices in Sheffield this week to demand justice for Mark Barnsley.
Unfortunately for them the police station was right next door, so it didn’t take the bizzies very long to get on the case and nick 16 people for 'burglary with intent'.
They have been bailed to appear at Hull Magistrates on 9th January. Mark Barnsley was sentanced to 12 years for defending himself against an attack by 12 students. (see SchNEWS 214).
On 19th December 2000, approximately 20 people entered the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) offices in Sheffield in protest at the continued imprisonment of Sheffield anarchist prisoner Mark Barnsley, and the withholding of vital evidence from his defence.
Entrance was gained easily by some smartly dressed people, and then everyone else ran inside and up stairs to the upper offices. The invasion and occupation caused a major disturbance and CPS workers were left with no uncertainty about the strength of feeling about this miscarriage of justice.
Leaflets were given to all the staff stating: "The CPS have framed Mark Barnsley...they would like to think that he doesn't exist, but we won't forget... if they won't release the evidence then we will just go look for it ourselves". Unfortunately the police station is next door to the CPS building, and the police arrived very quickly and people were ejected from the building. A banner proclaiming "Free Mark Barnsley" was hung from trees right outside the building so passers-by knew what was going on. Local press were in attendance.
In total 16 people were arrested, as some managed to get away. They were held for up to 10 hours and all charged with "conspiracy to burgle, with intent". They have been bailed to appear at Hull Magistrates (they cannot be prosecuted by Sheffield CPS!) on 9th January for what could be an interesting court case where all the CPS dirty laundry about all the evidence they have been withholding could be aired in public!
Mark Barnsley has been framed for a crime he did not commit, and has been wrongly sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He was framed because he was a well known working class anarchist activist. For more information on his case please look at the markbarnsley website
An excellent pamphlet about his case entitled "Beaten Up, Fitted Up, Locked Up" is available for £3 from PO Box 381, Huddersfield, HD1 3XX. This details all about the way that the CPS and police framed him, and the evidence that has been hidden for years.
Please, please find out more about this campaign, and get involved in the fight to free him.
DECEMBER 2000. MARK BARNSLEY REJECTS PAROLE AS SEVENTH XMAS BEHIND BARS APPROACHES
On the 8th of December Mark Barnsley was invited to apply for parole for the second year running. Once more, Mark rejected the offer.
As he has stated previously: "I am an innocent man and freedom is my right, I am not prepared to compromise myself by submitting to any form of conditional release. If that means spending extra years incarcerated in top security prisons, then it is a price I am prepared to pay, albiet regretably. My life has been completely destroyed by the terrible injustice that I have suffered, all that I have left are my principles and integrity, and I am not prepared to compromise them by bending my knee to the parole board."