Rejected petition Don't criminalise the young people of Ely. Drop the riot charges.

We call on the First Minister to make a statement calling for an amnesty, promising no more arrests, and for the Crown Prosecution to drop the charges against those who have already been arrested in relation to the unrest in Ely.

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First of all, we send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Harvey Evans and Kyrees Sullivan. They, who are at the centre of all this, need our support.

The unrest seen in Ely was an understandable emotional reaction to a tragedy that may or may not have been caused by the actions of South Wales Police.

The 8 of the 9 who have so far been charged with riot are all teenagers, and most of them are under 16.

Criminalising these young people, and destroying their futures, at a time when the community as a whole is grieving is something that goes against any hope of reconciliation.

The police involved in the incident that lead to the deaths of Harvey and Kyrees have so far faced no consequences. The police that provoked such a reaction in the wake of their death have faced no consequences either.

We call for an amnesty for these young people and an end to the criminalisation of the community of Ely in the wake of these riots.

Why was this petition rejected?

It’s about something that the Senedd or Welsh Government is not responsible for.

As explained in our email, criminal justice isn't devolved, but we have suggested alternative ways to take this issue forward.

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards

Rejected petitions are published in the language in which they were submitted