Soldier arrested over anti-war demonstration faces court martial
A soldier who faces charges of desertion for refusing to return to Afghanistan has been arrested and charged with five further offences after joining an anti-war demonstration.
Published: 7:00AM GMT 11 Nov 2009
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton led a protest in London last month against the continued presence of British troops in Afghanistan.
He was already facing a court martial but according to the Stop the War Coalition the new charges carry a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.
The anti-war group called for the soldier’s release and accused the Ministry of Defence of trying to stop his freedom of speech.
The group’s convener Lindsey German said: ”This is not about breach of military regulations. In the last few days a range of military personnel have been speaking in the media in defence of this appalling war. I doubt if any of them have been arrested.
This is about the persecution of a soldier who believes in telling the truth in accordance with his conscience.
He is saying what the majority of the population believes – that this war is unwinnable and immoral. The anti-war movement will be doing everything possible to get him released.”
In October L/Cpl Glenton, 27, from the Royal Logistics Corps, addressed a rally of more than 5,000 anti-war protesters packed into London’s Trafalgar Square.
He told the crowd he had witnessed sights during his time in Afghanistan that forced him to question the morality of his role.
Married L/Cpl Glenton, from Norwich, had said: “I’m here today to make a stand beside you because I believe great wrongs have been perpetrated in Afghanistan.
“I cannot, in good conscience, be part of them. I’m bound by law and moral duty to try and stop them.
“I’m a soldier and I belong to the profession of arms. I expected to go to war but I also expected that the need to defend this country’s interests would be legal and justifiable. I don’t think this is too much to ask.
“It’s now apparent that the conflict is neither of these and that’s why I must make this stand.”
An MoD spokesman said: “I can confirm that disciplinary action against a serving soldier from the Royal Logistics Corps is currently in progress.
“As this matter is subject to court martial proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
“We are not prepared to release any personal information relating to this incident.
“We have a common law and Data Protection Act duty to protect the personal information of our employees and there is no good reason to release personal information in this case.
“All those who are found to fall short of the Army’s high standards or who are found to have committed an offence under the Army Act are dealt with administratively (up to and including discharge) or through the discipline process, as appropriate.”—————–
Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer – court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, San Diego, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fort Bragg, Fort Jackson, Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States.
Comments on this entry are closed.