The British state has lost the argument

Aug 31, 2026 07:13 PM - 3 hours ago 4

The British authorities rigged the proceedings of Tony Greenstein, a secular Jewish socialist and bid activist, to get him locked up for arsenic overmuch arsenic 14 years – supposedly for “inviting support for Hamas”.

Fearful that the judge would punish his barrister for delivering a closing reside that decently defended him, Greenstein alternatively said straight to the jury.

For half an hour, he picked apart sham charges relating to 3 societal media posts and a blog article he wrote against Israel’s genocide successful Gaza. In doing so, he exposed the proceedings arsenic a governmental show proceedings – 1 of a increasing number, designed to soundlessness guidance some to Israel’s genocide successful Gaza and to the British state’s complicity successful it.

In summing up, Judge Sarah Plaschkes said she had considered referring Greenstein for contempt of court. But alternatively she dismissed his eloquent, damning reside to the assemblage arsenic a “rambling reside delivered by an aged man”. At that point, presumably, she had nary thought what effect Greenstein’s words would person connected the jury.

In a stinging rebuke to the judge, the assemblage members unanimously acquitted him aft conscionable 2 hours of deliberation. As it turned out, it was not Greenstein connected trial; it was British justice.

Once fixed a chance to perceive each the facts, not conscionable the ones curated by the Crown, the assemblage accepted Greenstein’s arguments, including his accusation that the judiciary were readily conniving successful the increasing authoritarianism unleashed by the UK state’s complicity successful genocide.

Which whitethorn explicate why Greenstein’s landmark triumph successful a lawsuit pinch immense implications for free reside – and the correct to speak retired connected the British state’s business successful Israel’s genocide – was almost wholly ignored by the constitution media.

Had the assemblage recovered against him, you tin beryllium judge that aforesaid media would person covered the matter extensively, playing its portion successful sending a connection to audiences that they should support their heads down and debar showing immoderate solidarity pinch the Palestinian group aliases consequence sharing Greenstein’s fate.

His acquittal, and the British state’s humiliation, was not a connection the authorities – aliases the billionaire-owned media – wanted publicised.

What Greenstein’s closing reside managed to do was present thing the British authorities and its judiciary person been cautiously trying to portion retired of the existent activity of show tests of anti-genocide activists: important context.

Greenstein had to disregard his barrister for the closing reside because, had the barrister spoken to the assemblage arsenic Greenstein himself did, he would person astir apt shared the destiny of different distinguished lawyer, Rajiv Menon KC.

Menon is facing contempt of tribunal proceedings complete his masterful closing reside successful the proceedings of six Palestine Action defendants, who were charged pinch aggregate and superior crimes complete their efforts to destruct killer-drones produced astatine a mill successful Bristol operated by Israel’s biggest arms maker, Elbit Systems.

As a consequence of Menon’s reside – you tin publication the astir important passages here – the assemblage refused to convict immoderate of the defendants of immoderate of the offences for which the authorities had put them connected trial.

The judge successful that case, Jeremy Johnson, was truthful eager to make an illustration of Menon – and intimidate different lawyers truthful they would beryllium dissuaded from giving different Palestine solidarity activists a due defence – that he managed to maltreatment the established ineligible process specifically designed for contempt of tribunal referrals.

The Court of Appeal had to overturn his decision, though it allowed him to reapply for contempt proceedings against Menon, this clip utilizing the due channels. Johnson did so.

The constituent is that judges for illustration Johnson and Plaschkes – religious servants not of justness but of the British authorities – cognize that nary assemblage will convict activists trying to to extremity a genocide if it is framed successful those terms. So these judges must rig these tests to support the assemblage arsenic ignorant arsenic imaginable of the applicable context: that the British authorities is persecuting bid activists for embarrassing it complete its collusion successful genocide.

That truth was, erstwhile again, only excessively evident during Greenstein’s trial.

Plaschkes was angry passim the proceedings astatine Greenstein’s efforts to present discourse to the case. For the prosecution to succeed, she needed the assemblage to disregard galore applicable things astir Greenstein’s supposedly “Hamas-supporting” remark astir a “ghetto uprising” successful Gaza:

the discourse that the one-day breakout from Gaza connected 7 October 2023 was a nonstop consequence to Israel’s preceding 16-year blockade of Gaza, denying its 2.3 million-strong organization the essentials of life and turning the enclave efficaciously into a attraction camp;
the discourse that, pursuing the October 2023 breakout, Israel instantly launched a genocidal run of demolition against the enclave’s infrastructure and its civilian population;
the discourse that, arsenic a secular socialist, Greenstein has been a long-time professional of Hamas, arsenic proven by a watercourse of articles he has written complete much than a decade and that he cited to the jury;
the discourse that, arsenic the boy of Holocaust survivors, he is profoundly opposed to 1 group systematically oppressing different – each the much truthful fixed that Jewish Zionists person exploited their people’s historical victimhood to warrant Israel committing modern crimes against Palestinians;
the discourse of world law, which states that a group nether occupation, the Palestinians, person a correct to defy their oppression by Israel, including done the usage of violence;
the discourse that Greenstein had not moreover mentioned Hamas successful posts that were the attraction of the trial, aliases indicated immoderate support for it – only his support for the correct successful rule for Palestinians to defy Israeli crimes;
the discourse that the British authorities proscribed the governmental helping of Hamas nether the UK’s coercion laws only successful 2021, not based immoderate caller “terror” behaviour – successful fact, 4 years earlier Hamas had rewritten its charter, showing a beardown willingness to make concessions to Israel. No, the intent of proscription was specifically to beforehand Israel’s extremity of intimidating popular, world solidarity pinch the group of Gaza;
the discourse that, successful prosecuting Greenstein, the British authorities is destroying the very ground of the correct to free speech, each to beforehand the interests of the demonstrably genocidal authorities of Israel;
the discourse that the British authorities is not immoderate dispassionate arbiter of justness successful these prosecutions: it is aggressively colluding successful Israel’s crimes. Its immense conflict of liking successful silencing critics is the elephant successful the room.

Greenstein told the jury:

Your [verdict] will not enactment successful this room. If these 3 posts are terrorism, past the connection has a caller meaning for everyone successful this country. Every student who shares an article. Every pensioner who retweets the incorrect opinion. Every writer, each blogger, each 1 of your neighbours pinch a societal media relationship and a position astir a war.

Can it really beryllium the rule of England that immoderate of them – that immoderate of you – will beryllium condemned to 14 years of situation for a tweet? You person the power, today, to reply that question. Whatever your reply is, it will beryllium remembered agelong aft this proceedings is forgotten.

The full reside is simply a masterclass successful really to speak complete the caput of a complicit judiciary and prick the conscience of group who still person a civilized backbone. I urge you publication it in afloat here.

The British authorities desperately wanted the scalp of a Jewish activistic to show that nary 1 is safe from the state’s agelong limb of persecution. It failed, which should beryllium origin for alleviation and ceremony among each personification who opposes authoritarianism.

The defeats being handed to the British authorities by juries who perceive the existent grounds are adding to the pressures connected officials to find caller ways to bypass the ancient correct of proceedings by jury.

The authorities of Keir Starmer was wished to found the precedent of scrapping assemblage trials. Faced pinch the unpopularity of specified a move, his successor Andy Burnham has sounded hesitant astir advancing the measure. But pledges he made while seeking the Labour activity – and premier ministership – are proving to beryllium worthy small now that he is successful office.

Meanwhile, courtier-judges for illustration Johnson are uncovering ways to get astir the reluctance of juries to convict anti-genocide activists of superior crimes.

Juries that convict activists of a comparatively insignificant complaint of criminal harm for smashing up killer-drones, assuming the defendants will get a fewer months successful prison, are learning that they are thereby handing judges successful these tests unlimited powers, successful usurpation of the astir basal principles of justice.

After the verdict, judges for illustration Johnson are choosing to rewrite the complaint sheet, adding retrospectively what they are bogusly calling a “terrorism connection”. That intends they tin condemnation the defendants arsenic “terrorists”, starring to acold longer jailhouse sentences and destroying the defendants’ lives successful perpetuity.

This is the people of a justness strategy that nary longer cares astir evidence, fairness aliases assemblage verdicts. It cares only astir visible punishment, astir spreading panic done the courtroom.

We tin conflict back. Juries look to beryllium increasing progressively wary of these highly politicised tests the British authorities is staging to exonerate itself of its criminal activities and fastener up its critics. As judges progressively maltreatment the justness strategy to get the jailhouse sentences demanded by the state, juries are apt to go overmuch little consenting to service arsenic an alibi for authorities repression.

This is nary longer a struggle simply for the Palestinian people’s survival. It is simply a struggle for ourselves, for our correct to person a voice, to person immoderate opportunity successful really our societies are tally and for whose benefit. It is simply a struggle to support the forces of acheronian astatine bay a small while longer.

And it is simply a conflict nary of america tin spend to lose.

[Many acknowledgment to Matthew Alford for the audio reference of this article.]