Palestine Solidarity Campaign head Ben Jamal pleads not guilty after London arrest

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), has denied violating restrictions imposed by police on a pro-Palestine protest in January of this year. Jamal was charged by police with allegedly violating the Public Order Act and appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court last Friday.

Jamal pleaded not guilty to all three charges. He was one of 77 pro-Palestine protesters arrested by police last month after police issued restrictions prohibiting demonstrators from gathering outside the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in central London. Protest organizers expressed shock at the restrictions, stating that they had submitted protest route plans months in advance, as early as November 2024.

Police stated that the restrictions were implemented in response to concerns from Jewish leaders who believed the protests would disrupt activities at nearby synagogues. However, protest organizers disputed this claim, emphasizing that previous protests departing from the BBC had not interfered with synagogue activities. Since October 2023, the PSC, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Stop the War Coalition, the Muslim Association of Britain, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament have organized dozens of national pro-Palestine marches in central London.

The protest in January marked a turning point for the UK's Palestine movement, with the number of arrests reaching the highest level since protests began following Israel's war on the Gaza Strip. Dozens of people gathered outside the courtroom last Friday in support of Jamal and to condemn the police crackdown on protests.

Chris Nineham, a convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, was also arrested at the January protest. He was among the protesters supporting Jamal outside the court. Nineham also appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court last Thursday and denied violating the Public Order Act. At his preliminary hearing, District Judge Neeta Minhas removed bail conditions that prohibited Nineham from attending protests organized by the PSC.