Rally defends attorney Lynne Stewart

A near-capacity crowd assembled at the Community Church in New York on Feb. 17 to support peoples' lawyer Lynne Stewart and her co-defendants. It was sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild. Supporters have denounced what they describe as a frameup by the state on charges of allegedly aiding terrorism.

Lynne Stewart

Shortly after outrageous guilty verdicts had been returned against Stewart, the NLG called for events around the country on Feb. 17, deeming it "A Day of Outrage."

Despite the setbacks of a week earlier, all in attendance seemed ready for struggle. The mood in the church was not one of sorrow or fear but of determination to do what is necessary in the coming period to defend this courageous woman, who has spent 30 years defending others in the legal arena, including some of those most demonized by the state.

When Stewart arrived at the meeting, the audience stood and gave her boisterous and sustained applause.

The meeting commenced with a panel of speakers. Various lawyers working on her defense team gave brief presentations in order to allow for the participation of the audience. They went over the legal aspects of the case and encouraged everyone to come out to support Stewart when she and her co-defendants return to court for post-conviction procedures.

In her remarks, Stewart gave a stirring talk that showed her fierce determination. Clearly not intimidated by the verdict, she called for unity in the movement and recognized death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal's support for her case.

Esteemed lawyers Ramsey Clark and Leonard Weinglass were in the audience to show support for Stewart.

Many attendees lined up at the end to give solidarity messages from either themselves or organizations they are affiliated with.

Sara Flounders, co-director of the International Action Center, encouraged everyone in the audience to invite Lynne Stewart to every event they organize in order to help build support for this important case.