What happened to the Chicago 7? What was the result of the Chicago 7 trial?

The Trial of the Chicago 7 was recently released on the streaming service giant Netflix. The movie has been received well by viewers all over the world. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is based on a true story of a historical trial. Ever since the release of the movie, a lot of people have been wondering what happened to Chicago 7 and what was the result of the Chicago 7 trial. To all the people who are curious to know about Chicago 7, here are the details:

What happened to the Chicago 7?

According to a report by Mari Claire, the remaining seven defendants were acquitted of conspiracy. Everyone except Froines and Weiner had been found guilty of crossing the state lines with the intent to incite a riot. Each one of them was fined $5000 and was sentenced to five years in prison. However, around two years after the trial in 1972, all the charges of contempt were reversed in an appeals court. This overturned all convictions of riot incitement and cited the deprecatory and often antagonistic attitude of the judge towards the defence. After all these incidents, the defendants continued their work in left-wing activism and organizing, added the report.

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What is the story of the Chicago 7?

The Trial of The Chicago 7 movie is based on the true story of the historical trial. The official synopsis on Netflix about the movie reads as, “What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history". The story follows the 1969 trial where the seven defendants (originally eight) were charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot for their involvement in an anti-Vietnam War protest held near the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

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What were the Chicago Seven protesting?

The group was involved in an anti-Vietnam War protest. They were charged with several federal charges for their involvement in the 1968 demonstration. Everyone, except Froines and Weiner, was charged with inciting a riot. Those two were charged with instructing others in the building of and using incendiary devices.

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The Trial of the Chicago 7 ending

Thomas Hayden gives a big speech towards the ending of The Trial of the Chicago 7 movie. He starts reading out the names of the US troops that were killed in the Vietnam War since the beginning of the trial. Several other people in the courtroom stand to show their respect while some of them just leave. According to a report by Screen Rant, this is not what happened in real life. In the real-life trial, everyone in the defendants was given a chance to make their closing remarks.

Image Credits: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Instagram