Human rights activist and Socialist Alliance member Stephen Langford has finally been聽acquitted on the charge of 鈥渕alicious damage鈥� in the Downing Street Centre Local Court on July 4, after two years of hearings before Magistrate Vivien Swain.
Langford was charged in June 2020 with 鈥渋ntentional or reckless damage鈥� of a statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie in Hyde Park.
Macquarie was New South Wales鈥� fifth聽Governor, from 1810 to 1821. Despite reportedly expressing a desire for First Nations peoples to be treated well, in 1816 he gave orders that led to the Appin Massacre of Gundungurra and Dharawal people during the Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars.
Langford had pasted an A4 sheet of paper, using water-soluble glue, to the statue聽with the text of Macquarie鈥檚 infamous 1816 order to kill.
The text quoted Macquarie鈥檚 order that: 鈥淔rom Sydney onwards are to be made prisoners of war and if they resist that are to be shot and their bodies hung from trees in the most conspicuous places near where they fall, so as to strike terror into the hearts of surviving natives.鈥�
The colonial government said 14 Aboriginal people had been killed, but the actual聽death toll was later revealed as much higher.
Langford has been fighting the 鈥渋ntentional or reckless damage鈥� charge, that carried a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Around a dozen supporters held a rally outside the court before the hearing. Langford read a poem about Julian Assange, the Australian journalist and political prisoner in London's Belmarsh Prison聽facing deportation to the United States for revealing its war crimes.
Musician Patrick Harte sang the Ballad of Lachlan Macquarie, written by United States singer songwriter David Rovics about the case. Vivienne Porzsolt from Jews Against the Occupation also spoke in support of Langford's actions.
Journalist Paul Gregoire's message emphasised the need for truth telling of the Australian state鈥檚 genocidal origins. Filmmaker Alfred Pek, who made Freedom Street about 14,000 asylum seekers stranded in Indonesia because of Australia鈥檚 anti-refugee policies, sent a message describing the expense involved in getting non-mainstream subjects into the public.聽
Filmmakers聽Mandy King and Fabio Cavidini聽sent a message of solidarity, as did Broome writer and activist Pat Lowe, who said freedom of expression is a fundamental right 鈥渨hether it is in the Constitution or not鈥�.
After he was acquitted, Langford thanked his lawyer Mark Davis, who is also assisting Blockade Australia protesters charged under NSW new draconian anti-protest laws. He read messages from the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group and Blue Mountains for Assange activist Brendan Doyle and activist Gordon Kennard.
鈥淚 am glad the charges were thrown out,鈥� Langford said. 鈥淏ut we need real, legislated human rights protection 鈥� a Human Rights Act 鈥� and a culture that goes with it to fight for the human rights of the most vulnerable and for freedom of political communication.鈥�