Pro-Palestine coalition; “huge setback for civil liberties”

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Stop the War (StW) formed a coalition in shared opposition to the genocide in Gaza. Since then, more than 20 national protests across the UK have demonstrated that the British public does not support the mass killing of Palestinians.

However, authorities convicted PSC director Ben Jamal and StW vice-chair Chris Nineham on two counts under the authoritarian Public Order Act introduced by Suella Braverman.

This ruling has sent shockwaves through the pro-Palestinian community, as repressive police powers actively undermine and curtail the ability to protest.

Refusing to be deterred, the PSC has published a statement on behalf of the coalition, condemning the verdicts as:

extraordinary and shocking and a huge setback for civil liberties.

We spoke to Chris Nineham following his conviction under this draconian law:

“A seismic threat to democratic freedoms” say pro-Palestine coalition

In this statement, it is made clear that Nineham and Jamal intend to appeal their verdicts. Helping them with that appeal, they will have full support of the pro-Palestine coalition behind them. Undoubtedly, they will have support of the wider British public in which a majority oppose Israel’s bloodthirsty actions.

They then go further by highlighting “significant concerns” about how the six-day trial was conducted. These concerns will be subsequently raised in their imminent appeal.

Arguably pointing to a stitch up, the statement reads:

The substantive issues at the heart of the case were clear. From the stage that day, Ben Jamal explained that a delegation of leaders of the coalition, plus MPs, trade union leaders and members of the Jewish bloc, would walk peacefully in a symbolic protest towards the BBC to lay flowers to mark the Corporation’s failures to report the truth of genocide in Gaza.

Ben made clear that, if stopped by the police, the flowers would be laid at the police line. In the event, as copious video evidence shows, police officers invited the delegation to pass though.

They also argue that the claims of public disorder made by the police were categorically untrue.

In fact, they underscore the violence that they did see that day:

The only moment of violence was when Chis Nineham was brutally pulled to the ground and hauled away by police officers.

Contradicting Police Commander Adam Slonecki’s adamant insistence that the imposed late restrictions did not follow political pressure from pro-Israel groups, they added:

The logs of the Police Gold Commander Adam Slonecki reveal that enormous political pressure was placed on the police by pro-Israel groups to prevent a protest at the BBC.

Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the judge’s verdict, saying he is “appalled”:

Defending the actions of Jamal and Nineham at the protest, which Corbyn was also taking part in, he wrote:

In January 2025, we held an entirely peaceful demonstration in support of Palestinian people. At all times, they — and we — followed all police instructions. We ended the demonstration by laying down flowers at their feet to mourn the deaths of Palestinian children.

Today’s verdict is a dark day for civil liberties in this country — and is a disgraceful assault on the right to protest.

We wrote earlier today after the court’s judgement:

It is clear that the government are refusing to back down in its attempts to intimidate and bully British citizens into no longer standing by our Palestinian comrades. Heavily funded by the Israel Lobby, Starmer’s government have long ignored and diminished rising islamophobia, whilst unduly declaring anti-Zionist positions as antisemitic.

Crime and Policing Bill

The statement goes on to draw attention to the Crime and Policing Bill which is making its way through Parliament:

It confirms the view, widely held across civil society, that these proposed increased powers represent a seismic threat to democratic freedoms.

They raise alarm at the chilling impact this is clearly intended to have on people supporting Palestinians:

The unprecedented charging and now conviction of leaders of a movement that has brought millions to the streets in support of the people of Palestine is designed to chill ongoing opposition to genocide, apartheid and illegal occupation.

It finishes with a typical show of dogged resistance to state oppression and repression:

It will not succeed.

That it most certainly won’t, as a call to action is heard for the upcoming protest on the 16 May in London:

Featured image via the Canary