This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pboyd04 (talk | contribs) at 01:18, 28 December 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 01:18, 28 December 2005 by Pboyd04 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article has not been added to any content categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. |
On March 17, 2003, four irish peace activists in Ithaca, New York, poured their own blood on the walls, posters, windows, and a US flag at a military recruiting center in order to try to stop the invasion of Iraq.
The following month the four were tried for criminal mischief. Nine of the twelve jurors voted to acquit them, and after 20 hours of deliberation, the judge declared a mistrial. At such declaration the crowded courtroom gave the Four a standing ovation. The district attorney said that he would not re-prosecute them, expecting that another jury would yield the same verdict.
A year later, however, the U.S. government decided to retry the four peace activists, this time on the more serious charges of conspiracy. Technically, they are charged with conspiracy to impede "by force, intimidation and threat" an officer of the United States and three lesser charges.
In September 2005, the US District Court in Binghamton, New York, acquitted four war resisters of felony conspiracy charges. While acquitted of the most serious charge of conspiracy, sisters Clare and Teresa Grady, Daniel Burns and Peter DeMott were found guilty of two misdemeanors: trespassing and damaging government property. The so-called St. Patrick's Day Four now face fines and up to eighteen months in prison. Sentencing is set for January 2006