Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Arson or Attempted Murder ?

The BNP trial continues to be blogged by the defendants here.

"In Mark's speech he had referred to a Muslim businessmen who was arrested and convicted for barricading the doors of Manningham Labour Club, then petrol-bombing it while more than twenty elderly members were inside. Jameson points out that the local press cutting says that the fire-raiser was convicted of arson with reckless endangering of human life, but not of attempted murder."

At the time it struck me as an innovative way of fighting the far right - trying to incinerate a Labour club just down the road from where the ILP, predecessors of Labour, were founded in 1893.

Let's see what the Labour club's insurers have to say about the incident.

Manningham Labour Club was targeted by gangs on the rampage and resulted in some 22 members being trapped inside for one and a half hours while rioters hurled rubble and petrol bombs into the club and blocked the rear fire exit.

Just seconds after being released by the fire brigade from their horrific ordeal the building collapsed, and the police are treating the incident as attempted murder. At one point the gang surrounding the club was 600 strong and police are hoping that CCTV footage from the club may be able to show more details of those carrying out the violence.

Marsh, the club’s insurers, have met club officials and the insurance claim, estimated at £1 million, should proceed smoothly.

Publication: The Club & Institute Journal, August 2001

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never heard of this, why were they attacking a Labour club?

dearieme said...

dave, the key question is why are only they attacking Labour clubs?

Anonymous said...

I have no idea "dearieme" I have not heard of this story before. Whats going on?

Anonymous said...

Is there any way to discover what the justification was for proceeding with this lesser charge, and why the CPS declined to prosecute for attempted murder? Freedom of Information Act maybe?
Q. for any legal eagles reading : Is there any case law of which you are aware which details broadly similar actions on the part of other defendants (irrespective of race)?

Anonymous said...

The only reason that there were only 22 in the club is that the rest had gone on a trip to Blackpool. On the coach on the way back they were getting 'Goodbye' phone calls from those trapped in the club!
What about the 2nd West pub in Great horton that had the same thing happen a year or so before - and the Lithuanian Club....