The recent acquittal of seven activists charged with smashing up a Brighton factory they accused of supplying arms to Israel has attracted attention primarily because of the anti-Israel remarks of the judge, George Bathurst-Norman. His summing-up to the jury at the crown court in Hove, now available online, is startlingly tendentious, but the case is part of a wider trend of English juries returning “not guilty” verdicts on people who have damaged the property of companies they disapproved of.
最近,7名被控毁坏布赖顿(Brighton)一家工厂的行动主义分子(activist)被判无罪。这7名被告指责这家工厂向以色列供应武器。此案之所以引人注意,主要因为乔治•巴瑟斯特-诺曼法官(George Bathurst-Norman)发表了一通反以言论。他在霍夫市(Hove)刑事法庭上向陪审团作的总结发言(在网上可以找到),带有让人吃惊的偏见。但此案是英国一种更广泛趋势的一部分:对于因反对某些公司而损坏它们财产的人士,陪审团往往作出“无罪”判决。