New Worker Banner

The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain

Defend the right to protest

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal and Stop the War vice-chair Chris Nineham have been found guilty of breaking the Public Order Act this week.

Although their punishment – they were fined and conditionally discharged – was not severe, they shouldn’t have been in court in the first place. These were clearly trumped-up charges designed to stifle the massive Palestinian solidarity movement that has swept the country in recent years.

The two campaign leaders have made it clear that they will appeal and so they should. This is an attack on civil liberties. It affects us all. The verdict raises huge concerns about any further powers granted to the police through the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently progressing though parliament. It confirms the view that these proposed increased powers represent a seismic threat to democratic freedoms.