Aamer Anwar
Encyclopedia
Aamer Anwar is a Scottish lawyer
of Pakistani background. He is noted for his left-wing
political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition
http://www.williambowles.info/guests/2005/letter_muslims.html and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit
and Dungavel
Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers.
for a future in the Royal Air Force. He became a student activist
and led a campaign for black students at the city's Dental Hospital
.
As a result of these experiences he left engineering to do sociology and politics. He was still a student when, in 1991, he was chased by police officers, after being caught flyposting
on Ashton Lane
, and beaten up, losing his front teeth being hospitalised. Later, he made legal history by taking the officers responsible to court and receiving £4,500 damages from Strathclyde Police
for the assault in which they are alleged to have made the racist comment "this is what happens to black boys with big mouths".
He graduated with a MA
in Social Sciences
in 2004, and from the University of Liverpool in 1996 with a postgraduate diploma in race law, and a LLB
from the University of Strathclyde
in 1999 and a Diploma in Legal Practice in 2000.. In 2008 he was number 9 in the independent law magazine The Firm's Power 100.
He was the Scottish organizer for the Anti-Nazi League
and led a march in 1993 to the London headquarters of the British National Party
. He also worked for the Commission for Racial Equality
, before deciding, in 1997, to go to law school as a mature student.
Anwar became a solicitor in 2000 and became part of a Glasgow
-based partnership, before branching out on his own in 2006 and setting up Aamer Anwar & Co, Solicitors & Notaries. Several nominations for Criminal Lawyer of the Year by The Law Awards of Scotland have resulted in Anwar winning in both 2005 and 2006.
He was the first lawyer in the UK to be put on trial for contempt of court for comments he made on behalf of his client at the end of a trial. In July 2008 he was acquitted, having a legal team led by Paul McBride
QC, as well as legal submissions in his support from Michael Mansfield
QC, Helena Kennedy QC. He was supported by the trade unions and civil liberty organizations, including Liberty, who also backed his case in the High Court. There was widespread condemnation of what was perceived to be an attack on free speech and the rights of a campaigning lawyer.
In 2004 he was the solicitor in the notorious Ice Cream Wars
appeal, which saw his client 'TC' Campbell cleared after 20 years
Anwar is noted for his left-wing
political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition
http://www.williambowles.info/guests/2005/letter_muslims.html and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit
and Dungavel
Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers. He was noted in particular for his controversial remarks in the aftermath of the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
, in which he claimed that 'That there is no difference between a stealth bomber and a suicide bomber, the effects are still the same', and also that notions of multiculturalism
had failed in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK due to widespread rejection of elements of British popular culture
, specifically "binge drinking and Big Brother", amongst young people within the Muslim community.
In 2008 he faced allegations of contempt of court
in the light of a complaint by the presiding Judge in the case, Lord Carloway, because of his disparaging remarks about the Jury
after the trial and conviction of Mohammed Siddique in the High Court of Justiciary
. He was found not guilty of contempt, but Lord Osborne said the statements from the lawyer "embody angry and petulant criticism of the outcome of the trial process and a range of political comments concerning the position of Muslims in our society".
He also was cleared of doing anything wrong by the Law Society. He was ultimately vindicated following the successful appeal of Mohammed Atif Siddique in February 2010, which led to his release and the quashing of his conviction under Section 58 - Collection of information
of the Terrorism Act
, which was described as a miscarriage of justice by the appeal court.
In 2008 he was runner-up in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow, losing the race for the position to Charles Kennedy
.
In 2010 he acted as solicitor for Tommy Sheridan
in HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
. After Sheridan sacked his advocate he was retained as amicus curiae
.
On the 31st of January a complaint was made by Anwar, following confirmation from Vodafone that there had been attempts to access his voicemail prior to the start of the Sheridan trial.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
of Pakistani background. He is noted for his left-wing
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
http://www.williambowles.info/guests/2005/letter_muslims.html and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit
31st G8 summit
The 31st G8 summit was held from July 6 to July 8, 2005 at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, United Kingdom and hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair...
and Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers.
Biography
Born in England, Aamer Anwar moved to Scotland in 1986 to study mechanical engineering at the University of GlasgowUniversity of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
for a future in the Royal Air Force. He became a student activist
Student activism
Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. It has often focused on making changes in schools, such as increasing student influence over curriculum or improving educational funding...
and led a campaign for black students at the city's Dental Hospital
Glasgow Dental Hospital and School
The Glasgow Dental Hospital and School is a dental teaching hospital, situated in the Garnethill area of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.Dental students have been educated in Glasgow since 1879, and the Dental School began issuing the Bachelor of Dental Surgery Degree of the University of...
.
As a result of these experiences he left engineering to do sociology and politics. He was still a student when, in 1991, he was chased by police officers, after being caught flyposting
Flyposting
Flyposting is a guerilla marketing tactic through the act of placing advertising posters or flyers in legal or illegal places. In the United States, these posters are known as bandit signs, snipe signs, or street spam. Posters are adhered to construction site barricades, building facades, in...
on Ashton Lane
Ashton Lane
Ashton Lane is a cobbled backstreet in the West End of Glasgow. It is connected to Byres Road by a short linking lane beside Hillhead subway station and is noted for its bars, restaurants and a licenced cinema....
, and beaten up, losing his front teeth being hospitalised. Later, he made legal history by taking the officers responsible to court and receiving £4,500 damages from Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
for the assault in which they are alleged to have made the racist comment "this is what happens to black boys with big mouths".
He graduated with a MA
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
in Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
in 2004, and from the University of Liverpool in 1996 with a postgraduate diploma in race law, and a LLB
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
in 1999 and a Diploma in Legal Practice in 2000.. In 2008 he was number 9 in the independent law magazine The Firm's Power 100.
He was the Scottish organizer for the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
and led a march in 1993 to the London headquarters of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. He also worked for the Commission for Racial Equality
Commission for Racial Equality
The Commission for Racial Equality was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality. Its work has been merged into the new Equality and Human Rights Commission.-History:...
, before deciding, in 1997, to go to law school as a mature student.
Anwar became a solicitor in 2000 and became part of a Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
-based partnership, before branching out on his own in 2006 and setting up Aamer Anwar & Co, Solicitors & Notaries. Several nominations for Criminal Lawyer of the Year by The Law Awards of Scotland have resulted in Anwar winning in both 2005 and 2006.
He was the first lawyer in the UK to be put on trial for contempt of court for comments he made on behalf of his client at the end of a trial. In July 2008 he was acquitted, having a legal team led by Paul McBride
Paul McBride
Paul McBride QC is a Scottish criminal lawyer based in Edinburgh. He is a board member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board, and a former Vice Chairman of the Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association.- Education :...
QC, as well as legal submissions in his support from Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield QC is an English barrister. A republican, vegetarian, socialist, and self-described "radical lawyer", he has participated in prominent and controversial court cases and inquests involving accused IRA bombers, the Bloody Sunday incident, and the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes...
QC, Helena Kennedy QC. He was supported by the trade unions and civil liberty organizations, including Liberty, who also backed his case in the High Court. There was widespread condemnation of what was perceived to be an attack on free speech and the rights of a campaigning lawyer.
Legal career
He has often represented clients in high profile controversial criminal cases with political or human rights implications. He is best known for his campaigns for justice after the killing of Glasgow schoolboy Imran Khan. Anwar also campaigned on behalf of the family of murdered Indian waiter Surjit Singh Chhokar, which led to a radical overhaul of the criminal justice system and several inquiries. In the latter case, Anwar led the justice campaign on behalf of the Chhokar Family. He also served on the Justice Minister's Stephen Lawrence Steering Group.In 2004 he was the solicitor in the notorious Ice Cream Wars
Ice Cream Wars
Things commonly known as the Ice Cream Wars include:*The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars — an episode in the history of Glasgow*The Ice Cream Wars — part of a children's television series...
appeal, which saw his client 'TC' Campbell cleared after 20 years
Anwar is noted for his left-wing
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
http://www.williambowles.info/guests/2005/letter_muslims.html and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit
31st G8 summit
The 31st G8 summit was held from July 6 to July 8, 2005 at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, United Kingdom and hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair...
and Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers. He was noted in particular for his controversial remarks in the aftermath of the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
, in which he claimed that 'That there is no difference between a stealth bomber and a suicide bomber, the effects are still the same', and also that notions of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
had failed in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK due to widespread rejection of elements of British popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, specifically "binge drinking and Big Brother", amongst young people within the Muslim community.
In 2008 he faced allegations of contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
in the light of a complaint by the presiding Judge in the case, Lord Carloway, because of his disparaging remarks about the Jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
after the trial and conviction of Mohammed Siddique in the High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
. He was found not guilty of contempt, but Lord Osborne said the statements from the lawyer "embody angry and petulant criticism of the outcome of the trial process and a range of political comments concerning the position of Muslims in our society".
He also was cleared of doing anything wrong by the Law Society. He was ultimately vindicated following the successful appeal of Mohammed Atif Siddique in February 2010, which led to his release and the quashing of his conviction under Section 58 - Collection of information
Terrorism Act
-United Kingdom:* Prevention of Terrorism Acts passed between 1974 and 1989 to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland* The Terrorism Act 2000* The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001* The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005* The Terrorism Act 2006...
of the Terrorism Act
Terrorism Act
-United Kingdom:* Prevention of Terrorism Acts passed between 1974 and 1989 to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland* The Terrorism Act 2000* The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001* The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005* The Terrorism Act 2006...
, which was described as a miscarriage of justice by the appeal court.
In 2008 he was runner-up in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow, losing the race for the position to Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
.
In 2010 he acted as solicitor for Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan is a Scottish socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity....
in HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
Her Majesty's Advocate v Thomas Sheridan and Gail Sheridan was the 2010 criminal prosecution of Tommy Sheridan, a former Member of the Scottish Parliament and his wife Gail Sheridan for perjury in relation to the earlier civil case Sheridan v News Group Newspapers.In Scotland criminal prosecutions...
. After Sheridan sacked his advocate he was retained as amicus curiae
Amicus curiae
An amicus curiae is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it...
.
On the 31st of January a complaint was made by Anwar, following confirmation from Vodafone that there had been attempts to access his voicemail prior to the start of the Sheridan trial.
External links
- Aamer Anwar and Company Homepage
- Chhokar Family Liaison Arrangements Report
- Note by Lord Carloway concerning possible contempt
- Open Letter in his Defence
- BBC report
- article on his case in Sunday HeraldSunday HeraldThe Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper launched on 7 February 1999. The ABC audited circulation in April 2011 showed sales of 31,123.From the start it has combined a centre-left stance with support for Scottish devolution...
- Anwar judgement welcomed
- "Terrorism" conviction quashed