Llandudno anti-lockdown protest organiser fined £5K

Matthew Ginsberg denied organising a rally, claiming others attended of their own "free will".

An anti-lockdown protester has been fined more than £5,000 for breaching Covid laws after he was convicted of organising a rally against lockdown.

Matthew Ginsberg, 42, organised an event last November and admitted taking a microphone and amplifier to a demonstration on Llandudno Promenade.

But Ginsberg, from Bethel in Gwynedd, said he took them so people could hear him practise his right to free speech.

Magistrates in Llandudno found him guilty and fined him a total of £5,240.

Ginsberg denied being the organiser of the gathering in north Wales, claiming others were there of their own "free will".

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But he was convicted of organising an outdoor event in Wales attended by more than 30 people, gathering with more than four people in a public place and failing to surrender to bail.

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Prosecutors described him playing a pivotal role on a Facebook page called "Smash Tyranny", where the protest had been advertised.

The court also heard Ginsberg was seen inviting people to the bandstand to speak and handed them the microphone.

He admitted to magistrates that he was the first to address the crowd of approximately 30 people, but claimed others had arrived there before him.