2 April 2026
The director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Ben Jamal, and vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, Chris Nineham, were yesterday convicted of public order offences at Westminster magistrate court, over a peaceful protest in January. Additionally, Jamal was convicted of ‘incitement’, with Judge Steinberg claiming that his speech at the peaceful protest breached “lawfully imposed conditions”
Met police had originally allowed the 18 January protest to take place but reversed its decision, citing spurious claims of “cumulative impact” on Jewish Londoners. The reversal came after lobbying by pro-Israel individuals and groups, including the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC). On the day of the illegal US-Israeli aggression on Iran, JLC expressed its support for the unprecedented bombing campaign, claiming it “will make the world a safer place.”
CAAT notes that the conditions imposed by the Met, which prohibited peaceful protesters from gathering outside the BBC’s office to protest its systematic editorialising in favour of Israel, were far from lawful.
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.
Last month, as part of the trial against Jamal and Nineham, District Judge Steinberg threw out a “no case to answer” defence. However, Steinberg curiously declined to give reasons for doing so.
The January 18 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 note that the zeal with which the police and Crown have pursued peaceful protestors demonstrating against the UK-backed Israeli genocide must be contrasted with its gross inaction against British nationals serving in the Israel Defence Forces, as well as executives of companies providing weapons to Israel.
In February the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), supported by CAAT, submitted a detailed complaint to Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), asking 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 been received 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 PILC 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.
