Silkin Gag Bid on Press
Socialist Press1978 1978-05-03Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 4 →
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-Peace News and The Leveller are due to appear in court on contempt charges.
They are being prosecuted Sam Silkin for the heinous 'crime' of revealing-from published sources and information given in open courtthe identity of "Colonol B" an 'expert' witness at the Aubrey/Berry/Campbell official secrets trial.
Contempt
Both papers, and ten workers, are being charged with contempt of court. And the National Union of Jornalists' paper The Journalist also stands to face punitive fines and costs for publicly putting two and two together, and pointing out that Colonel B's actual identity is that of Colonel H.A. Johnstone.
Behind the crackdown on these papers and the ABC case itself, lies the overall attack on democratic rights being carried through by the Lib-Lab Government.
Under attack
The right to march, the right to picket, and now the right to piece together publicly available material in investigative journalism have all come under attack as Callaghan bids to strengthen the police-military forces of the capitalist state in readiness for further confrontations with the working class.
The Official Secrets Actwhich in the ABC case could mean sentences of fourteen years each for two journalists and ex-soldier John BerryANS : bEKKY