Yorkshire Regiment soldiers jailed for sit-in protest.
Fifteen soldiers have been jailed after
a court martial for staging a "sit-in" in protest at being
"led by muppets".
The men from the 1st Battalion the
Yorkshire Regiment sat on the floor when ordered to stand to
attention.
The protest by 16 soldiers was sparked
by grievances with their captain and colour sergeant. It took place
in February while on exercise in Kenya.
Fifteen were sentenced to detention,
one of whom was dismissed from the Army. A 16th was also dismissed.
All the soldiers pleaded guilty to
disobeying a lawful command - an offence that carries a maximum
sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
'Led by Muppets'
The soldiers complained of being "led
by muppets, the court martial heard.
The prosecutor at the court martial
said members of the platoon had been seething at the way they were
being managed, and felt that they were "not appreciated".
The court heard a captain and sergeant
apparently got drunk before a lengthy training march in the Brecon
Beacons last winter.
The troops were said to have been
furious at finding their two commanders asleep, rather than greeting
the soldiers as they crossed the finish line.
Tensions came to a head at the end of a
training exercise in Kenya in February, when 16 soldiers decided to
protest.
Ahead of a parade, a ringleader shouted
"sit down" and members of the platoon did so. The
commanders ordered each man in turn to stand up, but were ignored.
'Public protest'
Corporal Anthony Brown, said to be the
ringleader, was stripped of his rank, dismissed from the Army and
sentenced to 60 days' detention.
Two lance corporals were reduced to
privates and sentenced to 60 days' detention, while a third was
reduced to private and dismissed without detention.
Twelve privates were sentenced to 40
days' detention.
The soldiers were in the 1st Battalion
at the time of the protest. However, the 1st has now become the 2nd,
following Army restructuring.
John Wilson, a retired colonel and
former editor of the British Army Review who lectures in military
history, described the nature of the soldiers' protest as
"unprecedented".
The sentences given to the troops at
the court martial were "strong enough to make the point",
added Col Wilson.
"I don't think a corporal,
whatever his grievances, can expect to orchestrate such a public
protest in front of the entire battle group parade and get away with
it."
An Army spokesman said it was "not
appropriate" to comment on the sentencing.
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