Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour is to produce a new
recording of the songChicagoby Graham Nash
in support of London UFO fanatic andcomputer hacker Gary McKinnon.
Nash authorised a reworking of the song written for the "Chicago
Seven", who went on trial after the violent Democratic Party
convention in that city in 1968, according to the
Guardian.
Gilmour contributed to the backing track for a
sing-in protest in April featuring the revised version of the
song written by
Gary's mother,
Janis Sharp
Gilmour and Nash are among the celebrities still campaigning to
halt McKinnon's extradition to the US to stand trial for hacking
into 97 US federal and military computers.
McKinnon is accused of causing at least £350,000 damage, but the
hacker claims he broke into the computers only to find evidence of
extra-terrestrial life.
Supporters, including
Boris Johnson,
David Blunkett, and several
other MPs, say McKinnon should not be extradited because he is
suffering from Asperger's syndrome, an autistic condition.
Boyzone singer Keith Duffy has also expressed support for
McKinnon. He said that as a parent of a child with autism, he knows
that getting support at the right time can be crucial.
If convicted in the US, McKinnon faces up to 60 years in a high
security prison. A conviction under the UK's Computer Misuse Act
carries a maximum penalty of five years.
Time is running out for McKinnon, who is likely to get his final
shot at standing trial in the UK next month at a judicial review of
home secretary Jacqui Smith's decision to send him to the US.
McKinnon won the review after a judicial review in January ruled
that Smith had failed to take adequate consideration of the
hacker's medical condition.
If next month's bid fails, McKinnon could be sent immediately to
the US.