G20 : Appeal / riot grrl

Appeal over G20 jail time
Herald Sun
May 3, 2008

A PROTESTER jailed over his role in Melbourne’s violent G20 riots in 2006 has won the right to appeal against his sentence. Akin Sari, 29, of no fixed address, was jailed in the Victorian County Court in March for his role at the Group of 20 nations summit. He was among a group of demonstrators who stormed a city office, attacked a police brawler van and hurled rocks, bins and milk crates at police. Yesterday, Court of Appeal judge Justice Frank Vincent granted Sari leave to appeal against his 28-month jail term, which carried a minimum 14 months. Sari’s legal team argued his jail term was manifestly excessive and his punishment was greater than that of other G20 protesters.

Riot girl still on payroll
Sunday Herald Sun
Liam Houlihan
May 4, 2008

A LEGAL Aid-employed G20 hooligan is allowed to continue her taxpayer-funded job because she has promised to behave. Julia Dehm was convicted of rioting, recklessly causing injury and intentionally damaging property for her actions during the violent anti-G20 protests that left several police hurt. In a move that has angered police, Ms Dehm has been cleared to continue her $35,500 publicly funded traineeship to become a lawyer. Victoria Legal Aid head Tony Parsons said there were several reasons Ms Dehm was allowed to continue. “Firstly, while she has been found guilty and been punished for a serious offence, her criminal behaviour was not the kind of conduct that would automatically exclude her from the legal profession (such as) an offence involving dishonesty,” Mr Parsons said. “Secondly, she has given me a solemn undertaking that while employed at VLA she will scrupulously avoid any situation which might bring her into conflict with the law. Thirdly, she has been punished for her offence by the courts. It is not VLA’s role to impose an additional punishment on her.” Police are angry at what they see as blatant hypocrisy where criminal activists are seemingly treated with leniency while wounded officers are hung out to dry. Police Association secretary Paul Mullett said it appeared to be double standards for a convicted criminal to be on the public payroll while injured police struggled for compensation. “If it’s good enough for a convicted G20 protester to remain on the public payroll then it is certainly good enough for our member, Sen-Constable Kim Dixon, who was badly injured at the hands of these protesters, to receive fair and reasonable compensation for the serious harm they caused her,” Sen-Sgt Mullett said.

(Q. When did Dixon’s case of tennis elbow first emerge, I wonder? And was it, in fact, prior to the protest?)

About @ndy

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I like anarchy. I don't like nazis. I enjoy eating pizza and drinking beer. I barrack for the greatest football team on Earth: Collingwood Magpies. The 2024 premiership's a cakewalk for the good old Collingwood.
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3 Responses to G20 : Appeal / riot grrl

  1. dj says:

    Is Mullett some kind of performance artist/satirist? If he was the head of any other union, he would have been crucified by the media by now.

  2. @ndy says:

    Yes. And yes. But he’s the head of the most powerful union in the country. Which is not to suggest he hasn’t been subjected to criticism, both by sections of the media, but also members of his union, including its leadership.

    For example:

    How the cops became king-makers
    Peter Ellingsen
    The Age
    July 11, 2004

    Mullett a bully: secret report
    Nick McKenzie and Michael Bachelard
    The Age
    May 13, 2006

    Might, muscle and Mullett – the heavy hand of Victoria’s most powerful cop
    Andrew Rule
    The Age
    November 11, 2007

    Corruption probe: union boss changes his story
    AAP
    November 14, 2007

    OPI urges charges against union boss Mullett
    The Age
    February 7, 2008

    Mullett to walk away with $1.7m
    Andrea Petrie
    The Age
    February 16, 2008

    Police union boss faces fight for power
    Dan Oakes
    The Age
    April 10, 2008

    Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera…

  3. dj says:

    I suppose my question was largely rhetorical and partly coming from a brief attack of naievety. It’s enough to give you a meh attack.

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