Prosecution Case Against Majid Freeman Turns Gaza Genocide into Its Argument

Birmingham – On the first day of prosecution in the Palestine trial of activist and aid worker Majid Freeman at Birmingham Crown Court, the Crown presented its case, and placed before the court a timeline of a community resisting a genocide as their case. 

The evidence included posts expressing the view that Palestine will be freed through resistance and responding to Israeli military actions with the kind of language used by millions of people across the world who regard armed resistance to occupation as a legitimate right under international law. The prosecution is asking the court to treat that language as terrorism. 

Notably, there was no promotion of Hamas - at most, an expression of astonishment that the resistance managed what it did. Majid produced no original material; the prosecution's case rests entirely on content he reposted from others. What has been presented appears to be a deliberate conflation: of reposting with authorship, of amazement with endorsement, and - most troublingly - of support for Islam or for Palestine with support for a proscribed organisation. 

Additionally, the heavy presentation of Islamic texts could be interpreted as an attempt to provoke any underlying Islamophobia that may be present in the jury, and to portray Majid as a “devout Islamist” or “Jihadi”. 

Proceedings continue today. Majid Freeman is expected to take the stand on 29 April.

Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE, said:

"Today the prosecution presented a timeline of a community surviving and resisting a genocide, and called it their case. They showed the court what Majid was looking at, what he was responding to, what moved him. 

CAGE will be watching these proceedings closely, and we remain clear: resisting occupation is an essential right to all occupied people, especially if they are facing a genocide.”