‘DEFEND YOURSELF, UNITY IS STRENGTH’
THE BRIXTON DEFENCE CAMPAIGN (1981-1985)
Defence
Providing legal assistance to those arrested was a priority of the Brixton Defence Campaign in the aftermath of the Brixton uprising. Many of the defendants had been charged with severe crimes; some were deemed a 'threat to national security' and faced years in prison if convicted, the Home Office recommended others for deportation. The campaign aimed to provide access to suitable legal representation for all defendants.
The Brixton Defence Campaign assembled a small group of people to coordinate and handle all matters concerning the court cases, including new arrests and new cases. Whilst the Brixton Defence Campaign, alongside other organisations, provided support to many of the defendants that they knew of, they were also concerned about outreaching to defendants that had ‘little help or no information…that may need legal help.’
As the Brixton Defence Campaign were ill-equipped to handle the sheer number of legal cases after the uprising, they worked with other organisations, including the Brixton Legal Defence Group (instructing all defence lawyers to ‘advise defendants to plead Not Guilty and to elect for trial in the Crown Courts’). The group was aware of its limitations in providing legal aid to defendants' cases tried in the Magistrates Courts and asked the Lambeth Law Centre ‘to act for defendants who [had] been refused legal aid’. The Brixton Defence Campaign established a Defence Fund to pay for a defendants legal costs and also offered support to people whose homes were raided by the police subsequent to the uprising.
Support
To help ensure that defendants were not abused in the courts and were given a fair trial, the Brixton Defence Campaign maintained constant contact with defendants throughout the legal process. They also supported the Brixton Legal Defence Group by organising for large community attendance in the courts to give moral support to those standing trial. The Brixton Defence Campaign publicised numerous court case dates, printing and circulating flyers to encourage the public to attend. The campaign also raised awareness for cases outside of London, including that of the ‘Bradford 12’ at Leeds Crown Court, who were tried (and eventually acquitted) on conspiracy charges as a result of defending their community from racist attack.
The Brixton Defence Campaign saw the publicising of such cases to be an important act of solidarity, stating:
‘We must make the links between our experiences in Brixton and what is happening to the Black communities in the courts elsewhere. The full force of the law and the state machinery is being brought to bear against our people, particularly our youths, in the most oppressive way yet seen in this country. We must be vigilant and support the campaigns around these cases that are going on throughout the country.’
[Image-GUTZMORE/1/6/1: Brixton Defence Campaign bulletin No.3]