Comment on Jury unanimously acquits Churchill statue spray-painter
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 2 days ago
The judge interrupted several times in the first few sentences, telling Olax that references to Genocide were inadmissible. Court security were then ordered to remove Olax to the cells, and the judge summed up the case and sent the jury away to deliberate without the defendant present.
Unusually, Olax was not even returned to the court to hear the verdict.
Hmmm yes much legal system, very justice.
FishFace@piefed.social 1 day ago
“Israel is committing genocide” is not relevant to a charge of criminal damage. English law does not recognise “I was protesting something grievously wrong” as a general defence, and nor should it - so trying to lead the jury to be sympathetic because they agree with your message instead of finding according to the law would indeed be unjust.
locahosr443@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
This is the value of jury trials, the people get a chance to decide what is just. What’s the point in having a justice system that results in outcomes the vast majority would consider unjust.
FishFace@piefed.social 23 hours ago
Why is the judge able to exclude evidence?
KeithD@lemmy.nz 19 hours ago
That’s part of their job. Anything that’s more prejudicial than probative, anything that isn’t relevant to the charges, anything that has no verifiable source, that all gets tossed if the judge is doing their job. And that’s not an exhaustive list.
0x0@infosec.pub 22 hours ago
No fucking clue, they shouldnt be
Guilvareux@feddit.uk 1 day ago
Hard disagree there. How to create such a system is a separate question though, that much I will grant.
It wouldn’t be “correct” in the application of the law. That wouldn’t make it unjust necessarily. Law is not the same as justice, it’s just our best effort.
FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Law in capitalist countries is not an effort towards justice, it is an effort towards protecting private property and the rights of capitalists.
boonhet@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
The law, incidentally, is also what makes it illegal for said capitalists to kill you for example. Why do you think they always want their industries deregulated, E.g when it comes to safety regulations.
Doesn’t get much better under communism either since party elites are allowed to do anything they want and enrich themselves in the process.
FishFace@piefed.social 1 day ago
But it is our best effort. I don’t think even an abstract concept of justice is served by taking into account political motivation for your actions unless you apply the principle blindly. Do you think someone spraying right-wing slogans like “deport all migrants” or “traitors” or just “fuck you” on RNLI buildings should be off the hook because they think there’s an existential threat to the country from a trickle of refugees? Do you think they should be allowed to bring up those beliefs in court?
Besides assigning consequences to bad actions, justice must in the first instance be fair. I see no fair way to privilege motivations that I sympathise with (anti-Israeli-genocide) but not ones that I find detestable (anti-immigrant).
itsjustachairmary@lemmy.world 1 day ago
If this is y’alls best effort y’all kinda suck at this ngl
LePoisson@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Everything is relevant when you’re deciding the guilt or innocence of a man being pressed under the boot of the state.
Fuck the law, when it is unjust and immoral we must fight to change it or, in this case, at least realize it and use jury nullification as it was intended.
ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 1 day ago
University of Birmingham disagrees: academic.oup.com/ojls/article/45/2/329/8078322?lo… they say that it should be a legal defence.
FishFace@piefed.social 1 day ago
They’re welcome to say that. I’ll stick with my own beliefs and those of the judge in this case though, after a brief read of some of that long paper. You’re welcome to make the case, though.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I’m sorry. You’re beliefs don’t matter. Only facts.
Tiger666@lemmy.ca 22 hours ago
Idiot.
FishFace@piefed.social 22 hours ago
Lmao