Hello
Beneath the list of forthcoming dates below is an edited copy of a post sent on 8 May to paid subscribers. If you unsubscribed to the newsletter sent in April, my apologies that you are receiving this: my unfamiliarity with Substack meant that I didn’t capture your email, but that has changed now.
The alteration to the post includes the introduction of a paywall. I know there are quite a number of people who ought to have “complimentary” access to the full newsletter, having supported me in the past in various ways, and/or by being “family,” or genuinely not being able to afford the subscription at the set rates, or some other reason. I did start going through my database to select people, but it was proving to be quite a slow process. For that reason, I’m asking people to contact me if they feel they should have a complimentary paid subscription (for recent/past support for example), and/or if you can’t afford one (check out my patreon page for a lower rate), and I’ll respond accordingly.
Future newsletters will be monthly, and will include encouragements for people to subscribe.
Forthcoming dates
22 May: Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ Lincoln’s Inn, London
22 May (TV): Emmerdale
2 June: Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ Vauxhall Law Centre, Liverpool
9 June: Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ Vauxhall Law Centre, Liverpool
17 June: Paul Robeson – The Giant, In a Nutshell. Birch Community Centre, Manchester
22 June: Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ Liverpool African Caribbean Centre (tbc)
31 July: Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ EBFringe, Eastbourne
5-19 August (odd dates only) Call Mr. Robeson @ Edinburgh Fringe
6-20 August (even dates only) Just An Ordinary Lawyer @ Edinburgh Fringe
12 October Just An Ordinary Lawyer. EICC, Edinburgh
8 May 2023
Greetings,
First of all, thank you for becoming one of my first paid subscribers, or being on my honorary list through other previous, recent or current support. I apologise for being later with this newsletter than I had hoped (I said last week) and if it’s not longer than the previous one, as promised.
In that last one, I talked about the impending judgement in the my trial alongside six co-defendants for the alleged crime of Aggravated Trespass, following a protest which successfully shut down UAV Tactical Systems for a day in March 2022. Our defence included Necessity: wishing to prevent danger to Palestinian people and property; and Unlawful Activity: notwithstanding the company’s possession of an export license to Israel (which it denies, but which is confirmed by published material), the uses to which the weapons are put in Palestine violate international law.
A few quotes from the judge in her judgement (there was no jury) were, “There was no evidence of imminent danger;” “No property identified … too remote;” “If the activities were unlawful, the police would have shut it down.” “The law will not tolerate vigilantes … there are other avenues;” and my favourite, “You could have called the Police.”
So, what this means is that there are now seven more convicted criminals on the loose in England – me included - than there were before. We each received a 12-month suspended sentence, and fines totalling £1740 between us. And as other people peacefully protesting on the streets of England are being arrested (like those objecting to the coronation of King Charles III and threatening public peace and safety with placards saying NOT MY KING),
Palestinian children and adults continue to be maimed and murdered by Israeli soldiers and civilian settlers, using armaments provided by UAV and its parent company, Elbit Systems.
The police were indeed called to UAC Tactical Systems again on May 1, and have remained there ever since, following the start of the siege organised by Palestine Action. I was there on days 1 and 2, and witnessed how the police protected UAV very robustly, roughly removing several tents (destroying some in the process) and much property, and thankfully I was not one of the 35 arrested on day 2.
There is quite a bit of coverage of the siege on social media, but hardly any on mainstream media. About which, I spoke in my defence of having attended my first big anti-Apartheid rally at London’s Trafalgar Square in 1985. Bishop Trevor Huddleston, Oliver Tambo and Rev. Jesse Jackson (who gave the final rousing speech) were all present, and I left there naively thinking that I had been present at the historic beginning of the end of the Apartheid regime. I eagerly turned on the TV for the news that night, and the BBC started with “Three people were arrested at an Anti-Apartheid rally in Trafalgar Square this afternoon...”
Fast forward 33 years to UAV Leicester. I was one of a number of Palestine Action supporters who spoke to ITV, and their piece was headlined – wait for it – Protesters arrested after Palestine activists continue siege outside Leicester drone factory, and included this line: “Over a handful of days last year, Israel was rocked by a series of deadly Palestinian attacks.”
By contrast, one example of a report giving a very different slant, and more context was this video by Migration Films, which included how the drones are used in Palestine.
So, any work implications notwithstanding, I have decided that, in a world ruled by war-mongers, corrupt criminals and politicians, where truth-tellers languish in jail or are killed, a criminal conviction for an anti-war protest is a badge I will wear with honour.
I am due to fly to Malta for filming an episode in another TV series (ironically, Madame Blanc is a crime drama on Channel 5), but I don’t expect the conviction to be a problem, especially as it is for a political protest. We shall see.*
*[I arrived in Malta a few hours ago, so all is good!]
The filming I did some months ago was for ITV – an episode of Emmerdale, which airs on Monday 22nd May – the same day I’m on stage in London with Just An Ordinary Lawyer! In it I play the presenter of prizes in a crime-writing competition. I might soon start referring to myself as a criminal actor…
Parting Shots
Harry Belafonte, Paul Robeson, Keith LaMar, Newspaper article…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Tayo’s Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.