CAAT condemns conviction of peaceful protest organisers as part of ongoing assault on civil liberties

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has spoken out following the conviction of Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal and Stop the War Coalition vice-chair Chris Nineham. They were convicted on 1 April of public order offences at Westminster magistrates court. The charges related to a peaceful protest in January.

Additionally, district judge Daniel Sternberg convicted Jamal of ‘incitement’, claiming that his speech at the peaceful protest breached “lawfully imposed conditions”.

The Metropolitan police had originally allowed the 18 January protest to take place but then reversed its decision. It cited spurious claims of “cumulative impact” on Jewish Londoners. The reversal came after lobbying by pro-Israel individuals and groups, including the Jewish Leadership Council.

On the day of the illegal US-Israeli aggression on Iran, the Jewish Leadership Council expressed its support for the unprecedented bombing campaign, claiming it “will make the world a safer place.”

CAAT speaks out on political policing

CAAT notes that the conditions the Met imposed were far from lawful. They prohibited peaceful protesters from gathering outside the BBC’s office to protest its systematic editorialising in favour of Israel.

As Netpol pointed out in a recent report titled How Repression Became Routine, police – specifically, the Met – are exercising powers beyond or ahead of lawful authority. Cumulative disruption powers, for example, have yet to pass through parliament.

Moreover, in reflection of the government’s zeal for suppressing anti-genocide protest, police use of powers to restrict assemblies in 2024–25 rose by 230% across Britain.

As part of the trial against Jamal and Nineham, district judge Sternberg threw out a “no case to answer” defence. However, Sternberg curiously declined to give reasons for doing so.

The 18 January protest was designed to start or end at BBC headquarters in Portland Place to protest against the broadcaster’s coverage of the Israeli genocide in Gaza. The BBC’s systematic bias, which downplays Israeli crimes against humanity, while dehumanising its Palestinian victims, has provoked documented turmoil at the organisation.

CAAT notes that the zeal with which the police and Crown have pursued peaceful protesters demonstrating against the UK-backed Israeli genocide stands in contrast to its gross inaction against UK nationals serving in the Israeli Occupation Forces, as well as executives of companies providing weapons to Israel.

In February the Public Interest Law Centre, supported by CAAT, submitted a detailed complaint to Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15). This asked it to open a criminal investigation into four current and former British directors of Elbit Systems UK Ltd for possible complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza. No response, or acknowledgement, has come from the Met.

A spokesperson for CAAT said:

As members of an anti-genocide movement proud to share its platform with Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham, we are dismayed at Westminster magistrate court’s decision to convict them in a trial that should never have taken place.

Jamal and Nineham should be feted for their service to humanity, and opposition to crimes against it. Yet, in this dire state of affairs, our government gets away with supporting Israel’s systematic slaughter of Palestinians, the ongoing theft of their land, and providing a steady stream of murder weapons, while prosecuting those protesting against it. The Met police’s failure to even acknowledge the Public Interest Law Centre complaint against Elbit directors, over possible complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza, shows just how politicised the police has become.

Featured image via the Canary