11:40am Wednesday 11th November 2009
A SOLDIER who faces charges of desertion for refusing to return to Afghanistan has been arrested and charged with five further offences after he joined an anti-war demonstration.
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, 27, from York, led a protest in London last month against the continued presence of British troops in Afghanistan.
He was already facing a court martial, but according to the Stop the War Coalition, the new charges of desertion carry a maximum of ten years in jail.
The anti-war group called for the soldier’s release and accused the MoD of trying to stop his freedom of speech.
A spokesman said: ‘‘This is not about breach of military regulations. In the last few days, a range of military personnel have been speaking in the media in defence of this appalling war. I doubt if any of them have been arrested.
“This is about the persecution of a soldier who believes in telling the truth in accordance with his conscience.
‘‘He is saying what the majority of the population believes – that this war is unwinnable and immoral. The anti-war movement will be doing everything possible to get him released.”
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