Troops vow to defy MoD chiefs’ ban on joining jailed Marine rally
SERVING troops have vowed to join a rally in support of a Marine jailed for killing a Taliban fighter – despite an official ban.
Defiant servicemen said they would join hundreds of veterans gathering outside Parliament today to demand justice for Sergeant Alexander Blackman, who was convicted of murder on the battlefield.
Senior military officials have warned of possible disciplinary action against troops caught attending the event, which has been deemed ‘political’.
But sources said Marines and other service personnel would join the crowds without their uniforms because of their determination to support their former comrade.
More than 1,300 supporters are expected to join the rally in Parliament Square, and organisers said they had received thousands of messages from both serving and veteran troops.
Thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who flew for the RAF and is spearheading the campaign for justice, has also said he will attend.
Yesterday, he said the MoD could impose orders on serving troops. But he added: ‘It does not change the strength of feeling about this case. It just shows the divide that is developing between the top brass and rank-and-file troops.’
Sergeant Blackman, 41, was jailed for life in 2013 after he was convicted of killing a Taliban militant who had been fatally wounded attacking a British base in Afghanistan. He admits making a splitsecond mistake during the ‘tour from hell’ – during which he saw comrades tortured and their body parts hung from trees. But flaws in his court martial have prompted a campaign to overturn his murder conviction and retry the case.
The Marine’s wife said he had been buoyed by thousands of messages from servicemen and women, and from Daily Mail readers – who donated £804,000 within a month of the Justice for Sgt Blackman campaign being launched.
Speaking ahead of today’s rally, Claire Blackman, 43, welcomed the opportunity to thank her husband’s thousands of supporters.
She said: ‘I want to thank everyone who is coming together in support of Al. The strength of the brotherhood that brings everybody together is amazing, and that support will bring him home.’
Organisers insisted the rally was not political but was intended to show support for Sgt Blackman.
But a direct command not to attend is understood to have been included in the military’s daily orders, which are displayed at all barracks and emailed to senior officers. The ban attracted anger on social media, where many serving troops said they would still attend the show of solidarity.
One man left a message for the MoD on the Justice For Marine A Facebook page, saying: ‘Think you can stop us? Good luck with that.’
Veteran Jim Izzard, who served in the Royal Air Force, said: ‘If we don’t stand for each other, what do we stand for?’ And David Shipley, from Suffolk, wrote: ‘I hope all serving soldiers, sailors, marines and air force personnel turn up in uniform to show their contempt.’
Organisers said they had also been contacted by serving US Marines and US Air Force personnel who wanted to attend.
John Davies, an ex-Marine who is helping to organise the event, said the decision to ban serving troops from attending was ‘ very, very disappointing’.
But he added: ‘The level of support we’ve received has been fantastic, and will show Al and his family they’re not alone.’
Conservative MP Richard Drax, a former Army officer, said: ‘The fact that so many people want to come – both serving and ex-servicemen – is fantastic.’ The MP for South Dorset, said he was hoping to raise the case during Prime Minister’s Questions, which Mrs Blackman is expected to watch before the rally.
A Daily Mail investigation uncovered evidence that was ‘deliberately withheld’ from Sgt Blackman’s court martial in 2011, when he was identified only as ‘Marine A’.
His supporters believe he was made a scapegoat for a wider failure of high command, and his new legal team, led by Jonathan Goldberg, QC, is preparing to petition the Criminal Cases Review Commission to send the case to the Court of Appeal.
An MoD spokesman said serving military personnel received ‘routine reminders’ not to attend political protests, marches, rallies or demonstrations. He added: ‘Any gathering which may seek to protest against a decision taken by the legal system or the Government falls into this category.
‘The MoD has followed and supported the legal process throughout this case. We respect the authority and decision of the court and will cooperate fully with any future legal process.’
Supporters are meeting in Parliament Square at 11.30am.
Further information is available at www.justiceformarinea.com