Defending the right to protest
This morning, CND was outside Westminster Magistrates Court in solidarity with Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham, two leaders of the Palestine Coalition who have been shamefully targeted for their role in organising opposition to Israel's genocide of Palestinians.
Today was supposed to be their first day in court, but on Friday the court postponed the trial which will now take place in February 2026! You can watch CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt's speech outside the court on Instagram and Facebook.
It is outrageous that Ben and Chris will have to wait with the threat of criminal charges hanging over them for that long. But this attempt to stifle solidarity with Palestinians will fail! See you at the next national demonstration on Saturday, 19 July!
Proscription of Palestine Action – important legal advice
As of midnight on Friday 4 July, the group Palestine Action is now considered a terrorist organisation and expressing support for them could lead to a 14-year prison sentence. CND is currently seeking legal advice on how this will impact our campaigning which we will share with supporters and members. In the meantime, please note that the following things could put you at risk of a terror charge:
- Wearing a t-shirt, a badge or a sticker of Palestine Action. Saying 'We are all Palestine Action'
- Attending a protest in support of Palestine Action
- Holding or speaking at meetings in support of Palestine Action
- Expressing a personal opinion that Palestine Action's tactics are morally justified
- Posting a picture wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt or sharing any Palestine Action-related social media posts
A more detailed briefing from NetPol can be found here. Please do read this advice carefully, along with the more detailed brief from Netpol. If you organise the communications for a local group, please take this into consideration when preparing any social media or newsletters etc. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].