Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:12 am Post subject: Soldier Opposed To War Faces Court Martial
L/Cpl Joe Glenton who's already served a tour in Afghanistan has last week handed-in a letter to Gordon Brown stating that he is opposed to the war on the grounds that politicians sacrificing lives is totally unjustified.
Quote:
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton last week handed in a letter to 10 Downing Street in which he explains to the Prime Minister why he believes politicians are wasting soldiers' lives in an unjustified war.
"The war in Afghanistan is not reducing the terrorist risk, far from improving Afghan lives it is bringing death and devastation to their country," the letter read.
"Britain has no business there. I do not believe that our cause in Afghanistan is just or right."
However, the Armed Forces Minister is expected to argue that Britain's military commitment in Afghanistan serves the country's security interests by reducing the risk of terror attacks in the UK.
L Cpl Glenton, who is also a member of Stop The War Coalition, is the first British soldier to speak out publicly against the war in Afghanistan.
The 27-year-old joined the Army in 2004, but became disillusioned after the Nimrod crash in 2006.
After going Awol in 2007, he handed himself in after two years and six days.
L Cpl Glenton, from the Royal Logistic Corp, is facing a court martial for desertion.
He is due to appear at Bulford Military Court Centre, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, for a preliminary hearing to set a date for trial.
It comes amid hints from David Cameron that the Conservatives would be ready to consider requests for additional troops in Afghanistan.
He said there was a "very strong case" for sending more forces to the country to help with the training of a home-grown national army.
In the Regular Army this is effectionately known as "Refusing to Soldier" and within these circles he'll be castigated and made an example of, "big style". NO wages, boot & shoe laces removed...fed just bread and water at his cell in the bcks guardroom, until a decision is made at the Court Marshall hearing. The emphasis for the mistreatment of those refusing to soldier is to set such an example that no other soldier will dare contemplate the same action. Well, this was how it was in the eighties/nineties when I was in. It was accepted protocol to not speak or lend an ear to those who dare not soldier.
A brave man indeed, we just need thousands more like him all at the same time.
Hilz _________________ "The likelihood of one individual being right increases in direct proportion to the intensity to which others are trying to prove him[her] wrong."
- - Harry Segall
"The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves." Lenin 1917
Hilz _________________ "The likelihood of one individual being right increases in direct proportion to the intensity to which others are trying to prove him[her] wrong."
- - Harry Segall
"The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves." Lenin 1917
Well, I've successfully managed to send an email and so has Pugwash so I don't quite know what you're getting at Steve44.
Double check this again by going to the website of Stop the War: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ and you'll see the link there. _________________ "The likelihood of one individual being right increases in direct proportion to the intensity to which others are trying to prove him[her] wrong."
- - Harry Segall
"The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves." Lenin 1917
Joined: 13 May 2009 Posts: 40 Location: North Devon, UK
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:05 pm Post subject:
I'm not getting at anything Marigold, tried the links from above and stopthewar website, got unknown address on stopthewar link and error thing from above link
Joined: 13 May 2009 Posts: 40 Location: North Devon, UK
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:37 pm Post subject:
Just e-mailed again
'I'd like to offer my support to Corporal Joe Glenton, for doing what he believes is morally correct, not in a whitehall, immoral, inhumane and ultimatly unwinable war, he is incredibly brave, he knows the conseqeunces, Steve Oliver'
Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 6060 Location: East London
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:42 am Post subject:
Here is a linked subject, at same Conway Hall meeting:
http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?t=17792 _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 6060 Location: East London
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:15 pm Post subject: VICTORY FOR JOE GLENTON (war denouncer)
VICTORY FOR JOE GLENTON:
COURT MARTIAL REDUCES CHARGES
On 29 January, the military court dropped the most serious charges, carrying a sentence of 10 years, against Joe Glenton, the first soldier in Europe to publicly refuse to fight in Afghanistan. Thousands of individuals and organisations from the UK to New Zealand and all over Europe have demonstrated their support for Joe.
Last November, Joe was jailed for a month for speaking out against the war; he was released on condition that he could not speak publicly. His wife Claire and his mother Sue are determined to continue to speak on his behalf.
However, in spite of being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, on 5 March, Joe will be tried for going AWOL, an offence punishable with a maximum of two years. This amounts to mental torture.
Tell the army and the government to drop ALL the charges—sign the model letter.
IN THE PRESS
Mother’s support for protest soldier Lance Corporal Joe Glenton
By Megi Rychlikova, Gazette & Herald, 25 January 2010
THE mother of the North Yorkshire soldier facing a court-martial for refusing to go to Afghanistan joined anti-war protestors in York city centre.
Sue Glenton was at the weekly stand organised by York Against The War in Parliament Street to add her voice to those objecting to the Afghan conflict.
She was there to show her support for her son, Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who was released from military imprisonment on health grounds in December. A military court had previously remanded him in custody on charges of disobeying a military order.
Sue Glenton at the York Against The War
stand in Parliament Street.
She said: “There have been demonstrations in New Zealand, Moscow and St Petersburg protesting against Joe’s imprisonment and unjust treatment at the hands of the MoD and British Government. We remain strong in the knowledge that Joe is right.”
L/Cpl Glenton’s next court hearing is at Bulford Camp on Friday. In addition to the charge of disobeying a military order, laid after he attended an anti-war demonstration in London last autumn, he is also accused of desertion when he went absent without leave from the Royal Logistics Corps in 2007 rather than returning to Afghanistan. He spent more than two years on the run before handing himself in.
Mrs Glenton said: “His initial concern was that the war in Afghanistan was and is illegal and we have had more than 500 letters and cards from people all over the world, military, ex-military and civilian who totally agree and are offering support.” The “support Joe Glenton” email had received 300 messages in the last week.
A civilian psychiatrist diagnosed L/Cpl Glenton with having post-traumatic stress syndrome in December. His mother said he had been showing signs of the syndrome since he returned from his first tour in Afghanistan, but he had not seen a military psychiatrist until earlier this month.
Soldier admits going awol from Afghanistan
Desertion charge dropped against Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who spoke at anti-war rallies
Peter Walker, The Guardian, 29 January 2010
A British soldier who refused to return to duty in Afghanistan and subsequently spoke at anti-war rallies today admitted going absent without leave after a more serious charge of desertion was dropped.
During a brief military court hearing, Lance Corporal Joe Glenton admitted going awol between June 2007 and June 2009.
He had intended to deny the charge of desertion, but learned only yesterday that military prosecutors were willing to accept the lesser charge, something they had indicated they would not do. He will be sentenced on 5 March and faces a maximum jail term of two years.
Glenton, 27, who joined the army in 2004 and served with the Royal Logistics Corps in Afghanistan, was charged in November last year with five further counts of disobeying lawful commands and standing orders after he took part in an anti-war rally. He subsequently spent a month in military custody. These charges, which carried a potential jail term of 10 years, have now also been dropped.
Glenton's legal case worker, John Tipple, said he was delighted at the prosecutors' decision.
"We're all clearly very relieved that the charges have been reduced, although there is still the very real possibility that Joe will go to jail," Tipple said. "We hope now that the MoD will show compassion given that Joe is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder."
Glenton had planned to defend the desertion charge by calling an expert on international law to challenge the overall validity of the Afghan conflict. Tipple said he believed military prosecutors had backed down to avoid a high-profile trial centred on such an issue, particularly at a time when the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war was hearing from Tony Blair.
"I really don't think the MoD wanted what would have been a far tougher examination of the legality of the war in Afghanistan than the one Tony Blair is getting right now," he said.
The 10-minute hearing, which was carried out by video link because Glenton has broken a foot and cannot travel, heard that psychiatric assessments carried out by the prosecution and defence broadly agreed on the soldier's mental state.
Glenton was in his home city of York, while his defence counsel and the military judge, Jeff Blackett, were in central London, and the prosecutor appeared from Uxbridge, west London.
Glenton handed himself in to military authorities last June after two years and six days' absence, during which he went to south-east Asia and Australia.
He made headlines when he wrote to Gordon Brown saying that he believed the Afghanistan mission would fail and British troops should be withdrawn.
He wrote: "It is my primary concern that the courage and tenacity of my fellow soldiers has become a tool of American foreign policy."
He continued: "The war in Afghanistan is not reducing the terrorist risk – far from improving Afghan lives, it is bringing death and devastation to their country.
"Britain has no business there. I do not believe that our cause in Afghanistan is just or right. I implore you, sir, to bring our troops home."
The Stop the War Coalition called Glenton's stance a "very significant moment" in the campaign against the Afghanistan conflict and he has spoken at events held by the group.
Glenton said last year that when he eventually returned to barracks he found a great deal of support for his stance among other soldiers.
This week, the MoD named the 251st member of the British armed forces to be killed in the conflict in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Daniel Cooper, 21, from 3rd Battalion The Rifles, died from a wound suffered in a bomb blast.
More information: Payday men's network, working with the Global Women's Strike
payday@paydaynet.orgwww.refusingtokill.net _________________ 'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.
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