L/Cpl

Joe Glenton
Glenton on Novara Media in November 2021
Born
Joseph Glenton

1982 (age 41–42)
Norwich, England
EducationLeeds Metropolitan University (BA)
Occupation(s)Journalist, activist
Years active2007–present
Spouse
Clare
​
(m. 2009)​

Joseph Glenton (born 1982) is a British journalist and veteran. He is most famous for serving four months in a military prison in 2010 after going AWOL in Afghanistan and for returning his Veteran's Badge,[1] with both acts in protest of continued British involvement in the Afghan conflict.

Biography

Glenton was born in Norwich[2] and raised in York, joining the military in 2004, allegedly for economic purposes. His mother, Sue, is also an activist.[3] He was based at Dalton Barracks in Oxfordshire and served for one tour of duty in Afghanistan before deserting in 2007 due to being ordered to serve a second tour after half of the suggested break in deployment time.[4] He then fled to southeast Asia and Australia, returning to the UK in 2009 to hand himself in.[5]

He promptly delivered a letter to Downing Street calling for the withdrawal of British troops in Afghanistan[6] and returned to his regimental duties but became under investigation for his desertion.[7] He was sentenced in March 2010[8] to nine months in a military prison after admitting to going absent without leave, but served only four months before being released in July the same year.[9]

Glenton addressing Troops Out of Afghanistan in London in October 2009

Glenton stated that after fourteen armed forces members were killed in an aircrash in 2006 and having to carry the deceaseds' coffins by forklift, he was left disillusioned by the war in Afghanistan.[10] Consultant psychiatrist Lars Davidsson suggested that PTSD from events in Glenton's Afghanistan tour may have contributed to his decision to desert.[8][11]

After being released from prison in 2010, Glenton began studying at the former Leeds Metropolitan University.[12] He also returned his Veteran's Badge in protest of continued British involvement in Afghanistan, stating he wanted troops withdrawn at present rather than what would be five years in the future, according to David Cameron's plan to withdraw British soldiers by 2015.

Views

Glenton is a republican[13] and argued for the abolition of the monarchy after Queen Elizabeth II's death.

He is a member of the Stop the War Coalition[5] and was a member of Veterans for Peace UK until its closure in 2022.

Glenton has criticised the British Armed Forces itself several times. In 2014, this was due to a perceived lack of justice within the army in dealing with sexual harassment offenders.[14] In 2018, he was a critic of a photo of Tommy Robinson, former member of the BNP and former leader of the EDL, surrounded by a group of British soldiers, and a critic of the wider politics within the army, stating "the institution [...] is itself a far-right organisation".[15]

He declared his support for a Palestinian protest march, in favour of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, to proceed on Remembrance Day, labelling Israel an 'apartheid state'.[16] A ceasefire later came into effect on the 24th November.

Glenton has written for several newspapers, including Declassified UK,[17] Vice News,[18] The Independent,[19] The Mirror[20] and The Guardian.[21] Since January 2020, he has been an active contributor at Double Down News.[22]

Personal life

In May of 2009, Glenton married his wife Clare who advocated vociferously for his release from military prison.[23]

Works

  • Soldier Box: Why I Won't Return to the War on Terror (2013)[21][2]
  • Veteranhood: Rage and Hope in British Ex-Military Life (2021)[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Anti-war soldier Joe Glenton in medal return protest". BBC News. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  2. 1 2 Glenton, Joe (2013-06-04). Soldier Box: Why I Won't Return to the War on Terror. Verso Books. ISBN 978-1-78168-092-6.
  3. ↑ "Sue Glenton, mother of Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, to attend Afghanistan war protest in York". York Press. 2010-01-20. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Anti-war soldier Lance Corporal Joe Glenton jailed for nine months". York Press. 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  5. 1 2 "Runaway soldier admits going Awol". 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  6. ↑ "Soldier takes war protest to PM". 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  7. ↑ "Awol accused soldier faces court". 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  8. 1 2 "Afghanistan Awol soldier jailed". 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  9. ↑ "Anti-Afghan War soldier Joe Glenton is released". BBC News. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  10. ↑ "Soldier takes war protest to PM". 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  11. ↑ Mirror.co.uk (2010-03-06). "Soldier Joe Glenton who went absent rather than face a second tour in Afghanistan jailed". mirror. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  12. ↑ "Anti-war soldier Joe Glenton in medal return protest". BBC News. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  13. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2023-01-08). "If Harry sounds callous about killing, he is. All of us who served were – at least he knows why". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  14. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2014-03-03). "Rape and sexual assaults in the military need more than 'kangaroo court' justice". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  15. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2018-10-11). "The Tommy Robinson photos show how far right the British army is". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  16. ↑ "Armistice Day Is Perfect for a Peace March". Novara Media. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  17. ↑ "JOE GLENTON". Declassified Media Ltd. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  18. ↑ "Joe Glenton". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  19. ↑ "Joe Glenton". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  20. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2012-03-08). "British intervention in Afghanistan has been a failure and a disaster, writes Joe Glenton". mirror. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  21. 1 2 "Joe Glenton | The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  22. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2020-01-12). "Army Veteran Joe Glenton on Class War & War on Iran". Double Down News. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  23. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (2009-07-30). "Soldier delivers Afghan war protest to Gordon Brown". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  24. ↑ Glenton, Joe (2021-11-09). Veteranhood: Rage and Hope in British Ex-Military Life. Watkins Media Limited. ISBN 978-1-913462-55-0.
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