G20 CHUTZPAH

I guess you have to give those thugs and thugettes known as the G20 Protesters some sort of award for chutzpah. You know what chutzpah means?  That’s the Jewish kid who murders his parents and then appeals to the court for mercy on the grounds that he’s an orphan. The G20 protesters are like that. They were all full of political zeal and courage in a gang when they hurled abuse and missiles at Police in an ugly show of force in the city in November 2006.

There’s one I talked about several times. Julia Dehm. She worked for the Victorian Legal Aid Office. Probably still does. Probably got Legal Aid.

She was one of the G20 rioters convicted of throwing a barrier at Police including Sen-Constable Kim Dixon, a mother of two, who is still suffering from elbow injuries. Dixon’s career is in doubt. She can’t do simple things like push her youngest son’s stroller or hang out the washing without feeling pain and she’s confined to desk duties.

Dehm, a serial protester, was convicted of two counts of riot, one of recklessly causing injury and one of intentionally causing damage. She was fined $3000 and given a suspended sentence. On appeal her sentence was reduced but her conviction remained. As it should.

Another bunch of  G20 rioters were in County Court yesterday and again out came the lawyers talking about what worthwhile citizens their clients were. How out of character their behaviour was. Etc. Etc. And I thought: Hang on a flash. Some of these guys wore balaclavas. They assaulted Police.

They pleaded guilty but their lawyers got out the violins to try to avoid convictions. Michael Alblas wanted to work with children. Dominic Richardson wanted to become a lawyer.  Mark Peart wanted to travel overseas.

Bail conditions had prevented Richardson from going overseas. Court visits had forced Alblas to drop out of a tertiary diploma. So what?  The injuries to a police officer doing her job has changed her life and career and financial situation forever.

But the most shameless plea came from lawyer Andrew Halphen on behalf of  Peart whom he described as a softly spoken, mild-mannered man who was  a worthwhile human being who ‘has done much for the community’.

He said Peart had buried his father the day after the G20 riots. Which is sad. He failed to mention that the day before his father’s funeral his grieving son was in full violent flight attacking Police in our streets.

The only relevant comment came from Judge David Parsons, who will sentence the protesters on Friday. When told a conviction would affect their lives for the rest of their lives he pointed out the pain and suffering for Senior Constable Dixon would also last a lifetime.

That put things right in perspective.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008