UK court postpones trial of pro-Palestine protest leaders

A British court has postponed the final hearings in the trial of two prominent Palestine solidarity movement leaders until Thursday, in a case widely seen as a major test for the future of protest rights in Britain.

This comes after the defence received "an interminable blizzard" of new evidence from the Crown Prosecution Service, comprising 800 pages of documents, which the defence argued meant they could not be ready to start the trial before Thursday. 

The defence also requested disclosure of body-worn footage of the police officers recorded on the day of the protest, when the incident occurred.

The proceedings, originally set to begin this week at Westminster Magistrates' Court, concern Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Chris Nineham, a founding member and vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition. Both are leading figures in the broad "Palestine Coalition" of campaigning organisations.

Jamal and Nineham face charges under public order legislation for allegedly breaching the conditions of the protest. If convicted, they could face up to one year in prison. 

How the case arose

The charges stem from a national march held on 18 January 2025, the 23rd major demonstration organised since the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023. 

As with previous demonstrations, organisers agreed a route in advance with London's Metropolitan Police. The March was due to proceed from Trafalgar Square to the BBC's headquarters, where protesters planned to demonstrate against what they describe as the broadcaster's biased coverage of the war.

About a week before March, the police asked organisers to alter the agreed route, saying a protest outside the BBC could cause distress to Jewish people in the area. Jamal rejected the request, arguing that no evidence had been presented that anyone had complained or would be disturbed. He has said publicly that police told him they did not require proof of distress to act if people said they felt uncomfortable.

After further discussions, organisers ultimately agreed to confine the demonstration to Trafalgar Square.

The arrests

During the rally, Jamal told demonstrators that police would not allow them to proceed to the BBC "to lay flowers" in protest against its coverage. He said that if officers stopped them, they would lay the flowers at the police's feet as a symbolic gesture.

According to Nineham's account, supported by video footage circulated online, he approached officers to seek permission to carry out the symbolic act. He was then arrested after what supporters describe as a forceful intervention by police. Jamal immediately urged protesters to disperse, and they did so.

Nineham was held for 18 hours before being released. Both men were later charged with breaching protest conditions and public order offences.

Police said at the time that officers had observed "a deliberate effort" by organisers to break the imposed conditions and attempt to march towards Whitehall, the seat of government. They added that they would continue reviewing protest footage to identify further offences. Around 70 additional arrests were made following video analysis.

Several MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Labour MP John McDonnell, disputed the police account. McDonnell later said neither he nor Corbyn had been detained, attributing that to their parliamentary status.

Wider implications

The case has drawn support from across the Palestine Coalition, which includes groups such as Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Palestinian Forum in Britain and the Muslim Association of Britain. Supporters have mobilised demonstrations outside the court in solidarity with the defendants.

Other activists, including Sophie Bolt of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Alex Kenny of the Stop the War Coalition, are due to face similar charges in March.

Campaigners argue the prosecutions form part of a broader clampdown on pro-Palestinian activism and freedom of expression. The trials come amid heated debate over proposed new public order legislation that would grant police expanded powers to restrict demonstrations.

Supporters of Jamal and Nineham say the case is about more than a single protest. "They want to make an example of them," McDonnell told a recent public meeting, warning that the aim was to deter others from taking to the streets.

The final hearings are now expected to begin on Thursday and last six days.