A hearing on some internationally infamous disorderly conduct takes place Tuesday, August 21 at 1 p.m.
in Maine District Court, 18 Colby Street, Waterville.
Lawrence
Reichard was charged following his act of civil disobedience disrupting a
speech by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a Colby
College graduation ceremony on May 20.
Happiest mug shot: Lawrence Reichard after his arrest (Source: Bangor Daily News) |
Reichard was arrested and charged with disorderly
conduct for yelling “liar” and “warmonger” at Blair. A common occurrence in the UK, it was the first
such protest in the U.S. to receive widespread coverage internationally.
It was a bad
week for Tony Blair -- just a few days later he was shouted at by
a protester who entered from behind the judge's seat at a court
hearing in London.
Blair was reportedly invited to be the keynote speaker by Colby College board of trustees chair Robert Diamond Jr., formerly CEO of Barclays Bank. Diamond has now stepped down from both posts under investigation for banking fraud. Barclays was ordered by regulators to pay fines in both the U.S. and UK for rigging LIBOR, the world's benchmark interest rate.
Reichard was with a
group of protesters who greeted Blair at Colby College with signs.
During Blair's introduction some of us shouted that Blair is a war
criminal and should be arrested for lying us into war on Iraq, and
were asked to leave.
Reichard and another silent protester, Jody Spear (Colby '63), whose sign criticized globalization, remained.
Source: photo by David Leaming "Choose A Cause" Waterville Morning Sentinel 5/21/12 |
Source: "Tony Blair At Colby College: 'Are We An Empire That's Fading?'" by Hunter Stuart, Huffington Post |
When Blair
began speaking, Reichard continued to shout until he was led away by
police.
At his hearing for disorderly conduct
in Maine District Court,
Reichard will read a statement, copies of which will be
made available. Reichard, a Bangor resident, is active with the Occupy Wall St. movement.
For further
information contact Lawrence
Reichard, (207) 907-2086,
(home) (415) 794-2955
(cell) or by email: lreichard@gmail.com.
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