UK: Hundreds of soldiers rally in support of convicted murderer ‘Marine A’

Hundreds of serving marines, veterans and their families rallied in support of Royal Marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman, in London's Parliament Square, on Friday. Blackman, who is referred to by his court moniker 'Marine A,' was given a life sentence after he executed a wounded Taliban soldier in Afghanistan.
Blackman's wife, Claire, has called for a retrial so that evidence allegedly "missed" during the 2013 trial could be considered. Following an address to the protesters, Claire Blackman denounced the case against her husband, stating "I think we have to remember that what they do when they are at war, is not something that we can judge them for from the comfort from our front rooms."
Fellow marine and campaign manager for 'Marine A,' Johnathan Davies stressed, "It is a war, you know they are not there to hand out flowers, they are there to fight the war. And as much as other people don't appreciate it, it is not a nice place and unfortunately horrible things have to be done sometimes."
Blackman was handed a life sentence on December 6, 2013. His sentence was reduced to 8 year imprisonment on appeal. The convicted was the first British soldier to be convicted of a battlefield murder, while serving, since World War II.