Double Standards

[David Guyatt]

Disrupting a major sporting event is, of course, terrorism, plain and simple.

Meanwhile, wanted by Spanish and French Judges for questioning about war crimes, Henry Kissinger, breezed into the UK recently to attend the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.

23 June 2013Last updated at 22:39Share this page

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Boat Race protester Trenton Oldfield must leave UK



Trenton Oldfield swam between the Boat Race crews in the Thames

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A man who disrupted last year's University Boat Race by swimming in front of the crews has been refused leave to remain in the UK.
The Home Office said Trenton Oldfield's presence in the country was not "conducive to the public good".
The Australian was jailed for six months after being found guilty of causing a public nuisance.
Oldfield told Isleworth Crown Court that his actions were a protest against elitism and inequality.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Those who come to the UK must abide by our laws.
"We refused this individual leave to remain because we do not believe his presence in this country is conducive to the public good."
Oldfield, who has a British wife, Deepa Naik, who is expecting a child, said he had appealed against the decision.
Sentencing Oldfield in October last year, Judge Anne Molyneux said he had ruined the race for everyone.
"You caused delay and disruption to it and to the members of the public who had gone to watch it and to enjoy the spectacle of top athletes competing," she said.
Oldfield interrupted the 158th boat race between Oxford and Cambridge in April last year. The race was eventually won by Cambridge.
Olympic rower Sir Matthew Pinsent, who was on a launch with umpire John Garrett behind the crews, told the court that Oldfield could have been killed.
Their launch was followed by 25 motorised boats carrying officials, police, sponsors and camera crews.

[Magda Hassan]

The world seems to now consist of gigantic movable sporting events which have turned into militarised war games with the host city in lock down. Most of the people can't even go to them nor can they afford the ridiculous prices they charge. When the big sports aren't on there are APEC and G8 meetings held all over the world that people again cannot attend and the whole city is put into lock down so that those who object to those attending cannot be encountered by those attending the meeting making decisions on behalf of whole populations that would choose none of these decisions if they had a vote.