UK jails more Muslims for 2009 anti-Israeli rally

Five more British protesters have been sent to jail for taking part in anti-Gaza war protests rally in front of the Israeli Embassy in London last January.

The courtroom's entrance was packed with a crowd of demonstrators, chanting slogans in defense of the right to protest. Some believed this was an intent government crackdown on Muslim protesters.

A Press TV correspondent reported that Saturday's ruling came despite the presiding judge's admission that in some of the cases the unlawful behavior had only lasted several minutes.

In total, 78 people are facing law suits after being arrested in the hours-long rally against Israel's military assault on Gaza. The charges vary from clashing with the police to damaging public property.

Out of that number, 20 people have already been tried and handed sentences in a move which authorities say is aimed deterring others from the same offenses.

The sentencing comes two weeks after the same court sent six British Muslim men, between 19 and 20 years old, to jailed for periods of between one and two years each in jail for violent conduct.

This is while a human rights organization's charges of police brutality have largely been dismissed.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission also said the police had failed to investigate up to 30 complaints against the Metropolitan police force.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=119627§ionid=351020601.