Whilst pondering my situation and glancing through the reactions to last week’s guilty verdict, I am of the impression that there is less noticeable noise coming from certain self-proclaimed anti-fascist groups and their associates. Perhaps the most usual suspects are managing to resist expressing their Schadenfreude in anticipation of tomorrow’s hearing and possible media reaction. Only time will tell…
Continue readingComments have been temporarily switched off on this website. For how long is uncertain. Following yesterday’s post, a number of comments and pingbacks were approved. The pingback, apparently some kind of tech issue, was quickly resolved. However, the next time I checked, another comment (plus two replies) were missing from at least one browser display. In order to not cause too many headaches before Thursday, I have decided to disable comments.
The weather is sunny and warm. Can it really be only by coincidence that, once again on Maundy Thursday, I am to be sent to prison, once again for singing a satirical song?
As mentioned yesterday and in another recent article, this latest trial against me for singing a parody song has now been dragged out for nearly two years. At the first instance hearing, when the more serious charge against me for incitement was dropped, I was already in prison and would have preferred, if found guilty and sentenced, to have continued the stretch to get it over and done with.
But no. Here we are again, at Easter (see image below from April 7th 2021), meaning two bank holidays and therefore a larger-than-usual backlog in court listings over the next fortnight. No doubt Bronzefield will once again be experiencing the usual weekend staff shortages, further exacerbated by the long weekend. And not only is it Easter: it’s also the start of the growing season, and the barbecue season… There is no end to the vindictiveness of it all.
Before leaving, I would like to express my gratitude to my barrister, Adrian Davies, whose impressive experience and knowledge of law was clearly in evidence in court last week. More precise thoughts on the two-year long, all-out effort by the Crown to further gag, punish and demoralise me, and on Judge Tempia’s ruling, shall have to wait for another day.
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Last Friday April 7th, I was found guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court by Judge Nina Tempia of one offence under notorious Section 127, for causing gross offence with a satirical song. In an exact repetition of last year, it looks likely that I will again be spending Easter, not with friends and family, but at HMP Bronzefield.
There is one semi-official rendition of proceedings to be found on Campaign Against Antisemitism’s website (CAA). Remarkably perhaps, CAA takes much of the credit, despite only one witness statement submitted almost two years ago by professional complainant Bedlam Jones.
The article fails to mention the name of the prosecution key witness, although the Crown’s expert, Dr BM from Canada, is mentioned, and the expert did pass reference to ‘CAA’s Enforcement Officer’ during cross-examination, – also without explicitly mentioning his real name.
Some of you will know that, last year, my birthday was spent behind bars. This year, thanks to one immensely kind and generous friend, a far nicer birthday present arrived early – a digital piano.
It’s a Yamaha Piaggero 32 and has six and half octaves of semi-weighted keys, great speakers and a very decent range of sounds. I am over the moon.
If I could get my hands on the large repertoire of professional backing tracks still in police possession, I would be able to entertain until next year’s birthday.
Continue readingDuring the past twelve months and more of effectively being barred from publishing content on my own web page, some might be wondering, asides the obvious, how I managed to fill my time. It takes a while to get back to normal (or rather the new normal) after being incarcerated.
Since my arrest in April 2020 (for which I am due to stand trial for causing gross offence with another parody song); since that arrest two years ago just as the first Lockdown began, I have learned how to grow vegetables and flowers in containers. A real Christmas tree is flourishing, as well as salads, root veg, onions and herbs. My most successful crop so far is Swiss chard, variety Bright Lights. Spring onions and carrots also did well.
Despite various excuses made over the past four months by the Courts and Tribunals Service as to why I had not received any official notification for the new trial against me, supposed to begin Friday, February 18th, the fact remains that the document delivered electronically, last Thursday 17th, with less than a day’s notice, was the first time I had set eyes on any official summons to attend trial.
Continue readingI humbly apologise to everyone for being me.
Perhaps, if I had told a joke about the Roma Holocaust — or sanctioned a millennia-old goblin-banker stereotype for Hollywood movies based on a children’s book series — things might be different: I would not again be facing jail time for causing ‘gross offence’ with another parody song.
Readers will have no doubt seen the latest Cancel Culture Controversy concerning British comic, Jimmy Carr. I won’t go into details here, only to point out that Carr has been criticised and condemned, whilst no doubt laughing all the way to the bank.
Coming shortly after wokedom’s outrage over Whoopi Goldberg’s comments on race, it seems that cancel culture is truly out of hand.
For something different and distant from all the noise, here is a song I wrote in 2009. Let Love In is a Latin number; the lyrics speak for themselves and have, at least from my own perspective, stood the test of time quite well.
It’s fair to say I’m slightly rusty on the guitar but it’s been enjoyable to reunite and also a good way to keep fit.
Alison Chabloz 
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