Step up the fight for the right to protest!
JVL Introduction
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has welcomed a court ruling on Friday rejecting the government’s attempt to block judicial review of the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act. She said:
The government’s effort to avoid judicial scrutiny of its blatantly anti-democratic proscription – branding a protest group as ‘terrorists’ for the first time in British history – has backfired spectacularly, and we now head into the judicial review in November with an even stronger legal footing.
The Guardian story below explains the grounds on which PA’s lawyers will be able to argue their case at the three-day high court hearing scheduled to start on November 25.
Below that you can read an account from JVL’s Political Officer Graham Bash of his hearing at Westminster magistates court on Thursday October 16.
Meanwhile, Defend our Juries is calling for nationwide support for its rolling programme of non-violent placard protests. It says:
From Tuesday 18th November to Saturday 29th November, join thousands of others across the UK and in London on key dates, for the opportunity to hold seven peaceful words in unity.
NWI
Legal challenge to Palestine Action ban can go ahead, court rules
Judges reject Home Office attempt to block judicial review of group’s proscription under Terrorism Act
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Thanks to Graham for the additional report.
There’s an article in Skwawkbox / Canary suggesting the government proposes to try PA cases in batches of 5, allowing up to 36 minutes per defendant for both the Prosecution and the Defence to put their cases to the judge. It’s a shocking proposal – one with zilch concern for delivering justice and driven by pig-headed determination to minimise the time and costs of processing these cases.
The judge hearing one defendant protest about not being granted adequate time to present her defence is reported to have told her she could appeal to the High Court if she chose. In my view, you bring the law into disrepute if you don’t allow both sides enough time to properly present their cases.
Before I saw this, I sent a protest email to my MP Catherine West, about this sinister step towards fascism in Britain.
Genocide of the Palestinian nation by the observably terrorist Israeli state is encouraged by the false Labour government’s intimidation of British people.