Defend our Juries Six continue defiance as they attend Old Bailey Hearing

_London - _CAGE International attended the Old Bailey on Friday to extend solidarity for the Defend our Juries (DOJ) Six, leading organisers in the movement currently facing charges under terrorism powers for organising one of the largest mass civil disobedience campaigns in recent memory. 

The defendants’ bail conditions were reduced at the hearing, but they were threatened with legal charges if they refused to voluntarily hand over passwords to their electronic devices. 

The six were arrested in relation to organising the “Lift The Ban” demonstrations objecting to the proscription of Palestine Action, one of the only organisations taking direct action against Israeli weapons manufacturers in the UK. 

One of defendants held up a sign throughout the hearing stating, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. 

The hearing took place as Defend our Juries plans its next “Lift the Ban” protest, which aims to draw 1500 participants on 4 October at Parliament Square. 

CAGE International’s Head of Public Advocacy, Anas Mustapha, said: 

“We extend our support to the DOJ for highlighting how counter-terror legislation in the UK is being used to muzzle pro-Palestine activism. The mass civil disobedience campaign led by the DOJ, is the largest in recent memory, and has also drawn global attention to how counter-terror legislation has been used for years to repress communities and stifle political expression in the UK.”

DOJ co-founder Tim Crosland, who is amongst the six facing charges, said:  

“What we’re experiencing here, what it means to be subject to these terror laws - these wildly draconian and permissive laws that allow all your tech to be seized, and your home to be raided on the most spurious grounds - well if there is one good thing that is coming out of this, is it’s helping us to understand what it must be like for all those communities who have experienced these laws over decades. This moment is going to strengthen the bonds between all those groups that stand against genocide.”