Justice for Mark Barnsley

JUSTICE FOR MARK BARNSLEY CAMPAIGN BULLETIN - MARCH 2002
 
DAY OF ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH MARK BARNSLEY
 
Demand that Home Secretary and Sheffield MP David Blunkett takes action in 
the case of Sheffield man Mark Barnsley, the victim of an appalling 
miscarriage of justice.
    David Blunkett talks a lot about justice for the victims of crime.  What 
about Mark Barnsley? First the victim of a vicious assault by a gang of 
drunken yobs. Then the victim of a deliberate fit-up by criminals in uniform 
and a corrupt and biased judiciary. Mark Barnsley should never have been 
convicted in the first place and it is criminal that the Home Office 
continues to ignore his case.
    His former life in ruins, Mark has so far spent nearly 8 years of a 12 
year prison sentence in the worst conditions that the prison system has to 
offer. Until justice is done, we will hold David Blunkett and the Home 
Office responsible for the continuing nightmare which Mark is been forced to 
endure.
 
We invite everyone who supports Mark's struggle for justice to join us in 
Sheffield on April 13th. Help us make the most of this day of action by 
bringing banners, placards and friends. Mark Barnsley has been a tireless 
fighter for social justice. Its time he received some solidarity in return. 
Justice for Mark Barnsley is long overdue.
 
DAY OF ACTION - SATURDAY APRIL 13th. 2002
 
PICKET THE HOME SECRETARY/ SHEFFIELD MP DAVID BLUNKETT.
MEET AT 11AM (PROMPT!)
AT MEADOWHALL BUS STATION (Near Sheffield)
Trains, Buses (inc. National Express) & local Trams all stop there.
M1 junction 34 for anyone whoís driving.
 
FOLLOWED BY INFORMATION STALL AND MASS LEAFLETING
IN SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE
1.30PM ONWARDS
ON FARGATE- (MAIN SHOPPING STREET) - SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE.
 
OTHER EVENTS MAY BE ANNOUNCED ON THE DAY.
 
You can write to David Blunkett (in Braille if possible) at: 50 Queen Anneís 
Gate, London, SW1 9AT
e-mail: gen.ho.@gtnet.gov.uk
You can send a fax to David Blunkett via the internet by going to: 
www.faxyourmp.com
Where it asks for your postcode put ëS5 6QGí.
 
WHAT TIME IS IT ?   TIME FOR JUSTICE !
 
 
 
Set Back On The Legal Front.
It is the nature of miscarriages of justice that most of them share certain 
common features- corrupt police officers, withheld evidence, dubious 
ìexpertî witnesses, biased judges, and incompetent
defence lawyers. Certainly, all these factors were ingredients in my own 
case, and while the details of all of them make for appalling reading, it is 
perhaps the incompetence of my own lawyers that is the most shocking. 
Without the flagrant incompetence of so many defence lawyers the State could 
not get away with fitting-up so many innocent people so easily.
    Fifteen months ago I was pleased to receive a letter from London 
solicitor Vicky King, offering to take on my case, together with her 
assistant Daniel Guedalla. It was an offer I readily took up in
the belief that an enthusiastic and diligent legal team could make a crucial 
difference in ending the
nightmare of my miscarriage of justice.
    Because I had submitted my application to the Criminal Cases Review 
Commission (CCRC) 18 months prior to this, there was in fact relatively 
little obvious work to do. It was mainly a question of tying up a few 'loose 
ends' with the material supporting my application; a few witnesses to speak 
to and a report to commission.
    Unfortunately, Vickyís initial enthusiasm proved to be short-lived, and 
while she insisted that she was certainly very much involved in the handling 
of my case, my letters were being replied to (though not actually answered) 
by her assistant. Neither Vicky nor Daniel have visited me at all, and 
basically I have been 'fobbed off' with excuses, while the reality is that 
NONE of the work essential to my CCRC application has been done at all.
    Then, towards the end of January, I received a letter from Vicky 
informing me that because Daniel was moving to another solicitors she no 
longer had time to deal with my case. Therefore 'it has
been decided' to transfer my case to another solicitor. The letter actually 
makes appalling reading, particularly coming from someone I have 
known for some years, and who I had 
basically entrusted my life to. There is not even the slightest hint of an 
apology.
    This could not have occurred at a worse time because the CCRC are 
finally due to begin investigating my case at any time, and I need to have 
all my supporting evidence in place, and someone who is reliable and 
well-informed to liaise with them. Even with the best will in the world it 
could take weeks for a replacement solicitor to read up on my case, and at 
the time of writing I am yet to hear from them.
    Bearing in mind my treatment during the past 7 and 3/4 years, I am used 
to being ill-treated, betrayed and kicked when I am down, but this latest saga represents an 
extremely low blow. Bearing in mind that the past year has effectively been 
wasted, and my legal affairs are in a bigger mess than ever, I obviously 
very much regret that I placed my trust in Vicky King in the first place.
Mark Barnsley - HMP Whitemoor - Feb. 2002.
 
Mark's General Situation.
Regular readers of this bulletin will be well aware of the lengths and 
depths to which the Prison Service have gone in trying to break Mark. 
They've tried everything on Mark from long periods of solitary confinement,  
constant transfers and on occasions actual physical violence. In fact 
harassment of every kind on a daily basis. All have failed to break Mark's 
resolve to carry on fighting the injustice of his imprisonment.
    This may explain why, since Mark's arrival at HMP Whitemoor last year, 
the Prison Service seem to be pursuing a policy of 'containment'. Basically 
this means Mark is just kept in his cell all day, he is denied access to all 
education (in fact he's been denied this for most of the past 2 years) and 
is also being restricted in terms of access to the gym, getting only 1-2 
hours a week.
    The wings at Whitemoor consist of small units of only 40 cells, and most 
days Mark and other prisoners don't even get the statutory minimum of half 
an hour exercise (this is on a small yard where the sun never shines). It 
should be obvious that warehousing people in these conditions can only 
worsen the physical and psychological effects of long-term imprisonment. But 
perhaps that is the intention?
    Mark now has hundreds of correspondents, but because of all the recent 
additional legal work, he may not have been able to reply to some as 
promptly as he'd like. Whilst he obviously appreciates the letters and 
expressions of support, he hopes that people will understand his need to 
prioritise his legal work at themoment. Mark 
gives a big thanks to everybody who is involved in supporting 
the campaign and to those who take the time write to him. Despite everything 
he says heís keeping well and remains strong.
 
Recent Campaign News....
Since the last bulletin weíve been busy promoting and shifting copies of the 
new book 'In The Hands Of The Enemy- Mark Barnsley's Struggle For Justice'. 
Feedback from those who have read the book has been mainly positive and it 
has hopefully stimulated some new interest in the campaign. Whilst the 
national press continue to ignore Markís situation, we have seen interest 
from other quarters such as magazines like Red Pepper and The Big Issue. We 
would still like to see the book reach a wider audience and ask that 
supporters try and get their local bookshop or library to stock it.
 
Also out now is the long awaited music CD: 'One Law For Them. Another One 
For Us.' The CD  features 22 tracks of punk/street music delights from: 
Contempt, The Warriors, Reazione, Blyth Power, Gundog, Norm Rejection, Scum, 
Riot/Clone, The Templars, Violent Affray, Guet Apens, Funeral Dress, Red 
London, The Business, The Pints, Red Alert, Attila The Stockbrokerís 
Barnstormer, Dogshit Sandwich, The Pink Torpedoes, Chester, The Hippy War 
Generals and Who Moved The Ground. Maybe not one for your gran but popular 
with the kids! See enclosed flyers for further details.
 
On November 18th 2001 there was a protest picket in support of Mark Barnsley 
in the Czech
Republic. The action aimed at the British embassy in Prague was held by 
about 20 Czech supporters of the campaign. This was despite the picket being 
banned by local authorities on the grounds that it broke a law against the 
holding of gatherings near the Czech Parliament building. On the day Police  
stated that after twenty minutes the action would be dispersed. Speeches 
were made supporting Mark Barnsley and condemning his and other cases 
involving reprisals by EU member countries against political activists. The 
Police then started harassing the participants as is usual in Prague and we 
later heard that several people had minor charges made against them.
 
Markís home city Sheffield came alive on 30th of November when local 
supporters put on a benefit gig for the campaign. Whilst only being a small 
gig it was well attended and raised a few (much needed) £ís for the 
campaign. Thanks to the bands who played and those who turned out to show 
support.
    Speaking of campaign funds, we could really use some help with 
fund-raising. Whilst we've so far managed to avoid asking people for money 
all the time, the reality is that despite doing everything as cheaply as 
possible, the campaign has inevitably cost a fair amount of money over the 
years. As the legal side of Markís struggle progresses, the cost of one 
legal report alone would probably wipe out our funds as they are at present. 
Weíve managed to get by so far on peopleís good will, one-off  benefit gigs 
like the one above and the little money raised from selling our campaign 
t-shirts, pamphlets etc.
    Over the last few years we've raised a large proportion of our funds by 
providing volunteers for the Workers Beer Company at the Leeds Festival. 
This takes place on the bank holiday weekend at the end of August. Basically 
our volunteers serve drinks to festival goers in their beer tents for about 
6 hours a day. In return the campaign gets paid their ëwagesí. If you want 
to help the campaign and get into this festival for free then this is an 
ideal way to do both. Anyone in the North who's interested in being 
considered as a volunteer please get in touch. Since places may be limited 
please bear in mind that we are only looking for people who can make a firm 
commitment. The Workers Beer Company actually provides beer tents at all the 
major festivals (Glastonbury etc). Maybe you are interested in organising 
your own group of volunteers on behalf of the campaign. Again please get in 
touch.
    What the campaign could really do with is some well known/popular bands 
or comedians to do a decent sized benefit gig for us. Not only would it sort 
us out financially but perhaps more importantly it would raise the profile 
of the campaign. Any takers out there...?
    Failing that thereís plenty of smaller scale ideas for fund-raising 
which should be easy to organise. Things like collections at gigs or public 
events (combined with some leafletting), sponsored events  organised around 
just about anything: a long distance swim, bike ride, silence, abseiling 
down a tall building, sitting up a tree with a banner...  Jumble and Car 
Boot Sales. Benefit events like gigs, video showings or dinners combined 
with an info. stall or speaker from the campaign. All it takes is a few 
committed people with some realistic ideas. You can have a good time into 
the bargain!
 
A few days before Christmas, on December 20th, a small group of campaign 
supporters in London braved the usual bad weather to hold a picket at the 
Home Office in London. As Mark's 8th year behind bars approached, they sent 
a clear message to David Blunkett in his first year as Home Secretary  that 
this is one miscarriage of justice he wonít ignore!
 
Saturday 3rd of February saw one of the most breathtaking mobilisations for 
Justice in Ireland. Around 40.000 people gathered in Derry City for the 
commemoration of the 30th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday'. The Ireland 
Support Group ran an info stall on Mark's case at events celebrated in the 
city  as people from many different countries were going to be there for the 
weekend.
    Situated at the 'Pilots Row' community centre, the campaign support 
group managed to hand over many leaflets and to speak to others there about 
the great miscarriage of justice that our friend Mark is suffering. As 
solidarity has no frontiers they took the occasion to also distribute info 
on comrades in Turkey on hunger strike over prison conditions and the 
Spanish political prisoners and their struggles. Like Mark they are all 
fighting against tyranny, exploitation and injustice. That's why they were 
imprisoned.
    Our Irish friends point out that 'whilst Mark is fighting to prove his 
innocence this doesn't mean he fights just for himself. His struggle is a 
struggle for the benefit of all those working class activists that are not 
going to give up the fight for decent lives and justice, as the families of 
those killed on 'Bloody Sunday' have been continuously doing. That's the 
message that we want to put across in order to try and build consciousness 
and solidarity links among all those who suffer the most brutal consequences 
of State terrorism.'
    Contacts have been re-established in Dublin and Cork but we know that a 
greater effort has to be put into the campaign in order to get Mark closer 
to achieving his freedom. The 'Starry Plough' newspaper which is published 
every two months and distributed throughout Ireland and parts of England, 
has started to enclose an information leaflet on Mark's case in every issue. 
It is this kind of support which helps the campaign, as  news about Mark's 
situation reaches many more hundreds of people. We hope to encourage many 
more to take an active roll in the campaign and to deliver effective support 
for Mark's struggle for justice.
 
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
MONDAY - MARCH 18th
Justice for Mark Barnsley PUBLIC MEETING
8PM - THE ALBERT (Upstairs)
TRAFALGAR STREET,
BRIGHTON.
 
MONDAY - APRIL 8th
Justice for Mark Barnsley WEST YORKSHIRE SUPPORTERS MEETING
7.30PM - THE ALBERT HOTEL HUDDERSFIELD.
(top side of main town library)
All campaign supporters from the area encouraged to attend.
 
SATURDAY APRIL 13th
DAY OF ACTION- SHEFFIELD
PICKET HOME SECRETARY DAVID BLUNKETT
11AM (PROMPT!) meet at   MEADOWHALL BUS STATION (near Sheffield).
Trains, Buses (inc. National Express) & local  Trams all stop there.
M1 junction 34 for anyone whoís driving.
FOLLOWED BY A STALL
AND LEAFLETTING
from 1.30PM onwards
ON FARGATE
(Main Shopping Street)
SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE.
 
We strongly urge all campaign supporters to come and take part in the days 
activities. Show David Blunkett that there are some local issues he can't 
continue to ignore.
 
 
YOU CAN CONTACT THE CAMPAIGN AT THE FOLLOWING:
Write to: Justice for Mark Barnsley - PO Box 381, Huddersfield, HD13XX, 
England.
J.f.M.B. (South Yorkshire) c/o above or e-mail: jfmbsyorks@aol.com
J.f.M.B. (London) Tel: 07944 522001
J.f.M.B. (Ireland) have a NEW ADDRESS - PO Box 1981, Derry, Ireland.
E-mail: barnsleycampaign@hotmail.com   Web: http://www.freemarkbarnsley.com
 
You can write to Mark directly at: Mark Barnsley WA2897
HMP Whitemoor, Longhill Road, March, Cambs, PE15 OPR, England.