Anatomy of a Protest (Recording available)
July 1, 2020 13:00
Facilitators
Sailesh Mehta
Sailesh Mehta writes about the law relating to protests. He has represented the lead demonstrator in the HS2 protests, and is currently representing members of a Vegan protest group charged with aggravated trespass at a Dolce and Gabanna store. He was one of the founding members of the Bar Human Rights Committee.
Daniel Robinson
Daniel Robinson has extensive experience dealing with cases involving riot and violent disorder and was involved in multi-handed cases featuring clashes between the BNP and anti-fascists. Before he came to the Bar he worked in the NGO sector, based in Rwanda and Jamaica, specializing in human rights, prisons and death row. He attended the Black Lives Matter protests in London recently as a legal observer.Helena Spector
Helena is a pupil barrister who began pupillage with Red Lion Chambers in September 2019. She has defended cases involving public disorder, assaults against police officers and plain clothes police officers who fail to adequately identify themselves. She has previously volunteered in the field of immigration and human rights in South Africa and the UK, assisting on cases involving Boko Haram, ethnic conflict in Sierra Leone and death row prisoners in Trinidad and Tobago.Panellists:
Michelle Nelson QC
Michelle Nelson took Silk in 2019 and was Treasury Counsel between 2009 and 2016. She has prosecuted and defended in some of the most serious, difficult and high profile criminal cases. She has advised on appeals in death row cases in Trinidad, Jamaica and the U.S.
Ife Thompson (BLAM Charity)
Ife is a community- based activist, writer, and the founder of BLAM UK Black Learning Achievement and Mental Health UK and Black Protest Legal Support.She was called to the bar March 2020 and has previously been a Family Law Advocate and an Education/criminal paralegal.
Marilyn Vitte
Marilyn is a tenant at Red Lion Chambers and practices exclusively in criminal defence. She was called to the Bar in 2010 and sits on the Equality and Diversity committee within chambers.Bethan Rogers
Bethan Rogers is a barrister, specialising in serious crime. She has conducted many public order cases and receives regular instructions in large scale conspiracy cases, Bethan has also represented defendants in a number of protest cases, including a number relating to a series of protests relating to corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Georgia Lassoff
Georgia is a barrister who took tenancy in September 2019. She has conducted cases involving public order and violent offences and has successfully employed defences focusing on excessive use of force by the police. She has a background of activism. She is currently instructed in a judicial review challenging sex work criminalization. She attended the Black Lives Matter protests in London recently as a legal observer.Timothy Kiely
Tim Kiely was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 2014. In early 2015 he was an intern at the Capital Appeals Project, a legal non-profit based in New Orleans which worked on complex criminal appeals and campaigned more generally for the abolition of the death penalty in Louisiana. He is currently among counsel instructed by the Metropolitan Police as part of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, and he has volunteered as a Legal Observer as part of the recent demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.- Michelle Nelson QC
Ife Thompson (BLAM Charity)
Marilyn Vitte
Bethan Rogers
Georgia Lassoff
Tim Kiely. - Facilitators:
- Sailesh Mehta
Dan Robinson
Helena Spector