UK rights groups slam ‘authoritarian’ conviction of pro-Palestine activists
Summary
Two British pro-Palestine protest leaders, Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham, were found guilty of breaking protest rules during a January 2025 rally. Several human rights groups criticized the UK government, saying these convictions show a harsh approach to peaceful protests and threaten democratic freedoms.Key Facts
- Ben Jamal is director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign; Chris Nineham is vice-chairman of the Stop the War Coalition.
- Both were convicted for breaching police rules during a pro-Palestine demonstration in London on January 18, 2025.
- Jamal was also convicted of encouraging others to break protest rules.
- They were given 18 and 12 months’ conditional discharge sentences and ordered to pay £7,500 each in legal costs.
- The protests included laying flowers at the BBC headquarters, which police had declared off-limits.
- Human rights groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Liberty condemned the convictions as a threat to the right to protest.
- The UK government has faced criticism for using counterterrorism laws to limit peaceful demonstrations.
- Jamal and Nineham are appealing their convictions.
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