ELSC & PILC file legal complaint against UK Lawyers For Israel patrons

JVL Introduction

We post below a press release from the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) concerned about the way complaints have been framed by UK Lawyers for Israel “in a way that materially strengthens pressure on recipients engaged in protected expression”.

The allegation made to the Bar Standards Board is that “that repeated references to the [senior] barristers’ professional status in UKLFI correspondence may have amplified the authority and perceived seriousness of legal threats and allegations directed at individuals and organisations engaged in lawful advocacy, cultural work, education, and public expression relating to Palestine”.

In other words, they suggest that “the cumulative effect is a chilling environment in which individuals and organisations adjust or withdraw lawful Palestine-related activity in anticipation of legal or institutional escalation”. 

Having heard on many occasions of organisations being denied permission to hold meetings or events after the venue owners have received letters from UKLFI we await the outcome of this complaint with great interest.

RK

This article was originally published by European Legal Support Centre on Thu 21 May 2026. Read the original here.