{"id":543,"date":"2007-01-10T03:54:11","date_gmt":"2007-01-09T17:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=543"},"modified":"2007-01-10T03:54:11","modified_gmt":"2007-01-09T17:54:11","slug":"harry-roberts-harry-roberts-roberts-roberts-harry-harry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=543","title":{"rendered":"Harry Roberts, Harry Roberts, Roberts Roberts, Harry Harry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why they chant the cop killer’s name<\/a>
\nRyan Kisiel
\nicSarfLondon<\/strong>
\nJanuary 9, 2007<\/p>\n

AFTER four decades in prison, a human rights group [?!?] is campaigning for the release of infamous cop-killer<\/a> Harry Roberts<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jailed for the murder of three police officers, Roberts is a man who would seem unlikely to garner much sympathy – but the Kennington-born prisoner has become a cult figure. RYAN KISIEL investigates.<\/p>\n

COP killer Harry Roberts has become a South London cult hero even though he is one of the country’s longest-serving prisoners.<\/p>\n

His name is regularly chanted at football grounds, has appeared in pop songs and is used by people to wind up the police.<\/p>\n

Now, four decades after he shot dead three cops, campaigners are urging Home Secretary<\/strong> John Reid<\/a><\/em> to release him.<\/p>\n

A candlelit vigil was held outside Peckham police station in December to try to have the 70-year-old released before Christmas.<\/p>\n

The “Let Harry Out For Christmas Campaign”<\/a> was set up after the 10th anniversary of the day Roberts’s 30-year tariff expired.<\/p>\n

Artist Mark McGowan<\/a><\/em> organised the vigil with a dozen supporters.<\/p>\n

He said: “Obviously he got sentenced to a minimum of 30 years and he has served 40. It seems as if it’s a political decision because he hasn’t had a parole hearing in 10 years. Whether or not we sing about it at football matches, there hasn’t been a hearing in 10 years. I grew up going to the terraces at Millwall and I was very familiar with who Harry Roberts was. I think the fact he has become a cult hero and a way that people can get at the police means that they don’t want to release him. Christmas is a time of forgiving and that’s why we decided to hold the vigil as we thought it was a time to let Harry out.”<\/p>\n