Targeted: The Criminalisation of Palestine Solidarity - Birmingham
Event Details
Majid Freeman, a respected humanitarian and community organiser from Leicester, is facing terrorism charges for sharing words of solidarity with Palestine. His case is a chilling example of the British state's intensifying crackdown on those who oppose genocide. From the courtroom to the classroom, Palestine solidarity is being surveilled, censored and criminalised.
This repression is widespread. Students are being harassed and disciplined for organising walkouts and encampments. Health workers, teachers and community leaders face threats to their careers for standing with Palestine. And most recently, Defend Our Juries carried out a powerful act of civil disobedience outside the Old Bailey drawing widespread attention on the most fundamental concerns of our time and for this, they now face charges.
The message from the state is clear: dissent will not be tolerated, and moral courage will be punished. All of this is happening as the UK continues to arm, fund and provide diplomatic cover for Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. While British complicity fuels mass killing, those who call it out are branded as extremists. Solidarity with Palestine is being treated as a threat.
Majid Freeman’s prosecution marks a dangerous escalation one that affects us all. If speaking up can be branded terrorism, what space remains for conscience, protest or truth? This moment demands unity, clarity and resistance.
Speakers
Moazzam Begg
Senior Director
A British-born Muslim, Moazzam Begg is a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner and outreach director for CAGE.
After his release, he became one of the most prominent public-speakers and Muslim advocates for justice and dialogue.
He is the author of the best-seller Enemy Combatant in which he recounts his experience as an innocent man detained and torture at Guantanamo, Bagram and Kandahar.
The Muslim 500 listed him as one of the 500 “most influential Muslims” in the world.
The New Statesman listed him in the top 50 “Heroes of our time”.
He has travelled extensively to investigate state abuses and western complicity in torture including to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria.
A direct eye-witness to the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria, his life has been recorded by the Columbia University Oral History project, and the BBC Storyville documentary, The Confession.
Majid Freeman
Well known in his home city of Leicester, and the broader activist community, Majid is a British Muslim, hafidh of the Quran and charity aid worker. He has long served local and international humanitarian causes, and uses his online platforms to raise awareness of the plight of those suffering persecution and harm.
Leigh Evans
Leigh Evans is a retired Welsh Nurse, constantly and passionately advocating for Palestinian Liberation. Highly esteemed in the medical field Leigh self-funded several times to serve in Gaza and the West Bank as an emergency medic, saving lives under fire. He left Nursing, rejecting his pension when he discovered financial complicity to genocide. Leigh is an endurance runner, sea swimmer and Tai Chi teacher with a full focus on uniting communities through humanitarian, peaceful action. His courageous heart is with the people of Palestine.
Birmingham - UK