John Morris writes that Jo Ball and the legal team from DLA Phillips Fox succeeded in overturning charges of obstruction and hindering police during the first of 8 trials arising from the American Vice President Cheney demonstration of February.

Inconsistent evidence from the police, with admission that the policing effort on the day was uneven and "bell shaped with the police line broken repeatedly" lead to the acquittal.

The denial of the democratic right to march on the day was further evidenced by the inability of either officer involved to state whether they had concious knowledge if protesters had lodged an application to march under the summary offences act. Rather, they showed they were part of suppressing democratic rights, by blindly following orders despite the appropriate lodgement of such an application.

The day started with a dozen protesters unfurling a new banner with the text, "APEC & Bush, Sydney Says No", outside the courthouse. Speakers from Stop the War, The Greens and the Democracy 8 defence campign backed up all 350 people who exerted their right to march despite police intimidation towards the February demonstration.

Looking ahead towards the APEC demonstrations in September, speakers insisted that the rule of law must be followed, rather than activists being blacklisted and excluded on the whim of the state.

Labor Premier Morris Ieema must respect both the rule of law and his party's troops out of Iraq position, representative of the opinion of over 80% of Australians. He and Police Minister John Watkins must allow democratic demonstrations against the warmongers George Bush and John Howard.

"I will be going to the APEC demonstration", said Jo Ball after her victory.

With charges previously dropped against 8 of the original 16 people arrested, and with this courtroom victory, the Stop The War coalition calls for the remaining spurious charges to be dropped.

John Morris
Stop The War Coalition