Jewish extremist linked to US bomber acquitted amid UK prosecution "shambles"

Asa Winstanley Lobby Watch 27 June 2015

“Don’t take photos of me” — Roberta Moore and Robert De Jonge tried to evade reporters outside Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in February.
Asa Winstanley The Electronic Intifada

Roberta Moore, the leader of the Jewish Defence League UK, last week had a conviction for assault and possession of an offensive weapon overturned on appeal.

A second JDL activist did not appeal his conviction for assault during the same September 2014 disruption of a Palestine solidarity event. In February, Robert De Jonge changed his plea to guilty and was in March sentenced to community service and a fine.

In September, he assaulted Andy Simons, an organizer of a Palestine literary festival in Haringey, north London. A group of right-wing Zionist activists in the audience invaded the stage, attempting to disrupt the event.

The reversal came as government prosecutors faced criticism for not taking the cases seriously enough. The appeal judge described the prosecution’s case as a “shambles.”

At Wood Green Crown Court on 19 June the judge, Edward Jenkins QC, ruled that prosecutors had not shown evidence that Moore had not acted in self-defense while spraying Simons and bookseller Simon Assaf in the face with red paint.

Continue