Pro-Palestine Protest Organizer Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ Following London Arrest
London (Quds News Network)- A key organiser of the pro-Palestine march in Central London in January pleaded “not guilty” on Thursday to breaking protest restrictions after being arrested alongside more than 70 others.
Chris Nineham, the Stop the War Coalition’s vice-chair, appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to two counts of breaking the Public Order Act.
Ahead of Nineham’s hearing, protesters gathered outside the court, condemning the police’s decision to ban marchers from reaching the BBC.
Outside Westminster Magistrates Court where @ChrisNineham is at his pre-trial hearing. Some brilliant speeches. Now we redouble our efforts to defend #Palestine and defend our right to #protest. See you Saturday 15 February for the biggest demo yet @STWuk @PSCupdates pic.twitter.com/dtu3nyfoNw
— Feyzi Ismail (@phaisie) February 13, 2025
During the hearing, District Judge Neeta Minhas dropped bail conditions that prohibited Nineham from attending protests organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Nineham spoke to a large crowd at a pro-Palestine rally in London over the weekend, describing the arrests as a “serious assault on the freedom of assembly” in the UK.
“Most people know that every penny spent on arming Israel, every penny spent on increasing defence, is a penny not spent on crumbling schools, hospitals, the welfare state, and the things that ordinary people really need,” he said.
Time to stand up and be counted. https://t.co/NgCKjlWck0
— Chris Nineham (@ChrisNineham) February 17, 2025
“Aggressive Policing”
In January 18, the London Metropolitan Police arrested more than 70 protesters, including Nineham after the police claimed some protesters had broken restrictions banning them from marching towards the headquarters of the BBC.
Organisers estimated that the protest drew 100,000 people.
In a letter sent recently to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, more than 50 MPs and members of the House of Lords urged the government to order an investigation into the policing of the 18 January protest.
They said they were “deeply troubled” by obstacles put in place by the police ahead of the demonstration, and “aghast” at comments made by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley in which he said his force had “imposed unprecedented restrictions” on the protest.
They also called for anti-protest legislation passed by the previous government – and currently the subject of a legal challenge brought by civil liberties campaign group Liberty – to be repealed.
Among the Signatories are Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Clive Lewis and Ian Lavery; Green MPs Sian Berry and Carla Denyer; and independent MPs, among them Zarah Sultana, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain and Imran Hussain
The letter was echoed by another sent to Cooper by a group of trade unions who also demanded an inquiry into “repressive and heavy-handed policing”.
“As trade unionists we are only too aware how heavy-handed policing, followed by the construction of false media narratives, have often served as a pretext to undermine our democratic rights to demonstrate and take industrial action,” the letter said.
Both letters raised questions about the Met’s narrative of events, after it accused protesters of breaking through a police cordon between Whitehall and Trafalgar Square.
Organisers have disputed this account, saying that protesters were invited by officers to “filter through” to Trafalgar Square. They have accused police of “heavy-handed and aggressive policing”.
Shame on the Met police, solidarity with the protesters.
Cops arrested chief steward Chris Nineham from @STWuk on the #freepalestine march in London. Solidarity pic.twitter.com/fAzkBsCyXZ
— Socialist Worker (@socialistworker) January 18, 2025
Ben Jamal, the head of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), was also charged with a public order offence and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 21 February.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The right to protest is a fundamental part of our democracy.”
“The use of public order powers are a matter for police who are operationally independent of the government.”
Amnesty International has also expressed concerns about the policing, while the Green party London Assembly member Zoë Garbett told the assembly’s police and crime committee meeting that she had been contacted by more than 150 people who described incidents of kettling and police violence towards children, pregnant women and older people.
