Campaign in support of protestors facing jail for demonstrating against Israel's attack on Gaza

Update 28 June 2010

Update 26 June 2010 Message of support from International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

Update 18 June 2010

Update 15 June 2010

Update 28 April 2010

Update 23 April 2010

Of the 75 people initially charged, 65 were charged with violent disorder, carrying a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment. Although most initially entered not guilty pleas, when the cases reached the Crown Court many of the defendants felt under intense pressure to plead guilty, on the assumption that they would receive more lenient sentences.

This, however, did not happen, and one by one each of the defendants pleading guilty were sent to prison. So far, 21 people have been sent to prison for up to two and a half years. One has been released on appeal and two appeals have been unsuccessful.

Of those who plead Not Guilty, all of the five cases heard so far have resulted in Not Guilty verdicts. These include:

• Jake Smith who’s case was dropped by police after footage of Jake being beaten to the ground by police near the Israeli Embassy was posted on YouTube.
• Sulaph Ridha who was charged with violent disorder after entering Starbucks for six seconds before leaving again.
• Khalid Afeneh whose case was dropped after a footage collected by the defence campaign revealed he did not throw the sandbag police were claiming was hurled at them outside the Israeli Embassy.

All of the 33 complaints made to the MPS and IPCC following the demonstrations have been dismissed, in many cases because the officer who assaulted the protester could not be identified as they had deliberately concealed their ID number.

No officer has received disciplinary action as a result of their behaviour at the demonstrations. Many of the protesters injured at the demonstrations are bringing civil actions against the police. A complaint dossier submitted to the MPS by STW, PSC and BMI following the demonstrations has still not been fully investigated by the MPS.

For backgound see:

Stop the War dossiers on police violence

Updates

1 April: BBC Newsnight report

30 March: Petition delivered to Home Office

The campaign for justice for the Gaza demonstrators was stepped up on March 30th when over 2,000 signatures demanding that all charges be dropped was handed in to the Home Office. The petition was handed in by MPs George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn and representatives from the British Muslim Initiative, The Palestine Solidarity campaign and the Stop the War Coalition.

30 campaigners from across London protested outside the Home Office as the delegation went in.

At first Home Office security refused to let the delegation in to the building but after some dispute and as the chanting outside grew louder an official was sent down from the Home Secretary's office to accept the petition.

After interviews with the press the MPs and others made statements and particularly stressed that the campaign would continue and that it was important to carry on collecting signatures so that we could return to the Home Office for a further protest if more demonstrators received prison sentences and those wrongly imprisoned remained locked up.

Guardian report and video:

Wed 24 March: Victory in court as Crown admits evidence doubtful

Lawyers representing Jake Smith, a protestor on the Gaza protests last January who was charged with violent disorder, won a significant victory today when all charges against him were dropped.

The Crown declined to present evidence after admitting some of the video evidence was doubtful and that there had been an 'episode' on the 10th January demonstration which would impact on the case.

The defence barrister Nick Wrack clarified in court that in fact some of the video evidence did not feature Jake Smith at all and that the 'episode' referred to was in fact an assault by the police on Jake which had been caught on camera.

The legal team have released a statment on Jake's behalf which they were not allowed to read out in court.

Meeting in Parliament Tuesday 2 March: Report by Nahella Ashraf

Young people who took part in the mass demonstrations against Isael's attack on Gaza in January 2009 are being handed down jail sentences for minor offences. Israel's barbarism -- which devastated Gaza and left 1400 dead -- brought tens of thousands on to London's streets, including the demonstration of over 100,000 on 10 January 2009.

Numerous complaints were made about police aggressive behaviour on the Gaza demonstrations. Thousands of protestors were 'kettled' -- illegally held for hours and only released after the police had obtained their names and addresses.

In the months that followed the demonstrations, over 90 protestors were arrested -- most of them Muslims, many of them teenagers -- often in intimidating dawn raids. Many of the young people had been under surveillance by the police for months and during some of the arrests family members were handcuffed and put in a separate room. Others were questioned at police stations without a lawyer present, after being told by officers that they would face long delays if they waited for a solicitor to arrive.

Joanna Gilmore, a research from Manchester University, told the meeting that these are the highest number of mass arrests in relation to a political demonstration since the Poll Tax riots of 1990.

Mohammed Kozbar, of the British Muslim Initiative, added that it was clear the latest sentencing was designed to deter the Muslim community from exercising its democratic right to protest.

It was clear to everyone that the treatment of these young demonstrators is a direct result of this government’s war on terror and the increase in Islamophobia.

The next steps agreed by the meeting was for a petition to be drawn up demanding all the charges of those still waiting to face trial be dropped and circulated as widely as possible. This will then be presented to the Director of Public Prosecution and the Justice Secretary Jack Straw.  It was also agreed that a meeting be called for the families and various legal teams.  The campaigning lawyer Imran Khan has agreed to take on all the appeals.

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Guardian Report Friday 5 March by Matthew Taylor:
MPs step up campaign over jail terms for Gaza protesters

 

MPs and protesters are stepping up their campaign against "extreme and disproportionate" sentences handed down to young Muslims involved in demonstrations against the Israeli invasion of Gaza last year.

There were 119 arrests after protests outside the Israeli embassy in London during which bottles and stones were thrown and a coffee shop was attacked.

Seventy-eight protesters were charged, most with violent disorder. So far 22 have been jailed for between eight months and two and half years, and more cases are due to come before the courts.

This week the families of those sentenced, the vast majority of whom are Muslim, met lawyers and MPs at the Commons to set out their concerns.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour MP for Islington North who chaired the meeting, said that the sentences amounted to an attack on the Muslim community and the right to protest.

He said: "Some of the sentences that have been handed down to these young demonstrators are extraordinary and out of all proportion to the crimes committed. What possible justification can there be for handing down a year in prison for a 19-year-old lad, studying dentistry, who threw a plastic bottle in the direction of the Israeli Embassy?"

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer has tabled parliamentary questions about the policing of the event and the subsequent sentences.

She said: "There were a disproportionate number of people arrested and disproportionately severe sentences. I think people's right to protest should be recognised by the courts and I think they have not caught up with what is a new attitude to legitimate protest."

According to Crown Prosecution Service guidelines the maximum sentence for violent disorder is five years.

However, campaigners claim many of those sentenced should not have been charged with violent disorder and say the judge has repeatedly stated that the sentences were intended as a deterrent.

Joanne Gilmore, researcher in the School of Law at Manchester University, has monitored the cases and says people at more violent protests had received more lenient non-custodial, sentences.

"The vast majority of them were people of exemplary character, who were involved in the communities, caring for their families and often studying," she said. "The demonstrations were overwhelmingly peaceful and if you compare the relatively minor disturbances that took place with the violence on other demonstrations these sentences are very severe."

Gilmore said there were more arrests after the Gaza protests than at any political demonstration since the poll tax riots.

Campaigners say they are determined to fight the sentences. Corbyn is planning to table a motion in the Commons criticising the handling of the protesters, and families of those who have been locked up will meet lawyers to discuss appeals.