Letter – Stansted 15

We the undersigned, former colleagues of Dr. Emma Hughes, of the “Stansted 15”, express our deep disappointment and utter disagreement with the convictions against the human rights activists under a terror-related charge after peacefully stopping a secretive deportation flight from leaving.  Dr. Hughes and her colleagues acted out of conscience to highlight the inhumane treatment of families and to save lives.

The use of the law “endangering an aerodrome” is grossly disproportionate and a real threat to every citizen’s right to protest.

Dr. Hughes, a committed and respected colleague from Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Culture, made an informed choice and took peaceful action to protect vulnerable lives.  The potential prison sentences the Stansted 15 face are unjust. 11 of the people on the flight have subsequently won their appeals to remain in the UK. The ‘deport first, appeal later’ policy the UK government practised at the time has been found to be illegal by the Supreme Court.

The political philosopher Antonio Gramsci, imprisoned by Mussolini’s fascist regime, said “What comes to pass does so not so much because a few people want it to happen, as because the mass of citizens abdicate their responsibility and let things be.”  It is because of the right to protest, the right of governments to be held to account by its citizens that we live in a modern democracy.

We call for the Stansted 15 to be spared prison and for the rights of citizens to peacefully protest and defend human rights.

Signatories

1. Dr Tammy Boyce, Cardiff University
2. Professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Cardiff University
3. Dr Lina Dencik, Cardiff University
4. Professor Ian Hargreaves CBE, Cardiff University
5. Dr Tom Allbeson, Cardiff University
6. Mr Gavin Allen, Cardiff University
7. Dr Lucy Bennett, Cardiff University
8. Mr Mike Berry, Cardiff University
9. Professor Paul Bowman, Cardiff University
10. Dr Gill Branston, Cardiff University
11. Dr Maria Brock, Cardiff University
12. Dr Pete Brown, Columbia University
13. Dr Joe Cable
14. Dr Choon Key Chekar, University of Leeds
15. Professor Simon Cottle, Cardiff University
16. Dr Stephen Cushion, Cardiff University
17. Ms Naomi Dunstan, Cardiff University
18. Dr Inaki Garcia-Blanco, Cardiff University
19. Dr Ross Garner, Cardiff University
20. Ms Emma Gilliam
21. Dr Bernhard Gross, University of the West of England
22. Dr Hannah Hamad, Cardiff University
23. Dr Joan Haran, Cardiff University
24. Dr Zahera Harb, City, University of London
25. Dr Janet Harris, Cardiff University
26. Professor Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield
27. Dr Arne Hintz, Cardiff University
28. Ms Sue Hodgkinson
29. Dr Sanna Inthorn, University of East Anglia
30. Dr Nasheli Jiménez del Val
31. Dr John Jewell, Cardiff University
32. Ms Julie Jewell, Cardiff University
33. Mr Dafydd Owain Jones
34. Ms Catrin Jones
35. Dr Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore, Birmingham City Univeristy
36. Dr Darren Kelsey, Newcastle University
37. Dr Jen Kidd, Cardiff University
38. Professor Jenny Kitzinger, Cardiff University
39. Dr Maria Kyriakidou, Cardiff University
40. Professor Justin Lewis, Cardiff University
41. Dr Liezel Longboan
42. Ms Jo Marshall-Stevens, Cardiff University
43. Dr Kerry Moore, Cardiff University
44. Tony O’Shaughnessy, Cardiff University
45. Dr Alida Payson, Cardiff University
46. Dr Joanna Redden, Cardiff University
47. Dr Javier Sánchez-Monedero, Cardiff University
48. Dr Susana Sampaio Dias, University of Portsmouth
49. Mr Matt Swaine, Cardiff University
50. Mr Gwilym Thear
51. Ms Cerys Thomas, Cardiff University
52. Ms Barbara Tomlin
53. Dr Emiliano Treré, Cardiff University
54. Catherine Walsh, Cardiff University
55. Ms Cindy Wieringa
56. Dr Marc Wiggam
57. Dr Andy Williams, Cardiff University
58. Mr Simon Williams, Cardiff University

Photograph: Kristian Buus/Getty Images / The Guardian