Many may not be aware but...
British veteran Jamie Michael—persecuted by the British state for a Facebook post—sat down for an exclusive interview 8 days ago.
Until now, little was known about how non-violent Southport protestors were treated post-protest/riots.
This interview changed that.
The key revelations🧵:
1. Arrest
Not only did police tell @jamiemichael369 that his “offence” could carry a maximum 7 year sentence, but they also aggressively handcuffed him and kept him on remand for 3 days—all before his initial hearing.
(For a non-violent crime... Meanwhile, violent suspects are routinely released far sooner.)
He was denied his right to a phone call, warned that he might face an additional terrorism-related charge, and threatened with the arrest of his partner.
(He has a young daughter—meaning if police followed through, she would have been left with no parent to care for her)
2. Duty Solicitors
Now his initial duty solicitor told Jamie something very interesting.
He said if Jamie posted the video 3 months before he did, police would probably have ignored it.
The laws are the same. The police are the same. The only thing that's changed is the Prime Minister.
This same solicitor later advised that he should entertain pleading guilty to reduce the potential sentence by a 1/3.
He even suggested Jamie was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because he posted a meme.
So after this, Jamie sacked him and enlisted the help of @SpeechUnion
3. The Judge
The first judge who shut Jamie down during his initial hearing—when he tried to correct the wrong title of a video shown in court—also wanted to keep him on remand in jail until his trial months later.
He was then held on remand for 3 more weeks until his new lawyers secured his bail.
(3 weeks in prison for a non-violent crime… for a veteran who served his country)
Once released, he was finally able to go home and see his little girl and partner.
But the police weren’t finished with him. He was meant to be released at 10am on his girlfriend’s birthday but was kept until 7pm.
The 9hr delay? Police were debating whether he should be given a tag or a curfew—over a Facebook video.
(Note the second judge involved in his case was "fair", Jamie said)
4. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
How the CPS decided Jamie's case was worth prosecuting—particularly given the jury took under 20mins to find him not guilty—remains a mystery.
3 police officers told Jamie nothing would come from his video.
The police typically have to battle the CPS to accept and take on cases.
It suggests there may have been instructions from higher up...
Starmer and Yvette Cooper made a point out of going after online "hate" cases after the protests/riots—so did various police chiefs.
"This needs to be looked into"
5. Effects on Jamie's Life
Just from being prosecuted, Jamie lost 30% of his business. He was slandered by the mainstream media. His partner found their little girl crying in her room, confused about what was happening to her dad.
I’ll let Jamie tell the rest in the clip below, but how any govt or police force could treat a citizen like this—let alone a man who fought to protect his country and should be afforded the utmost respect—over a social media post is, frankly, scary.
Much of the punishment came from the prosecution process itself.
Everyone, no matter where they stand politically, should be condemning it.
It might be scores of progressives one day…
You can find the full interview conducted by @VoWalesOfficial and @VickyRichterUSA here:
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