The Alex Kenny Situation
EARLIER this week I was invited to speak for five minutes to NEU conference about the events of January 18 2025 and the subsequent charges brought against Ben Jamal, Chris Nineham, Sophie Bolt and myself.

This was to be on Tuesday afternoon, after a debate in which the union expressed support for the four of us, calling for the charges to be dropped.

It was also timed to be ahead of today’s verdict on Ben and Chris, and would have been a powerful moment for the union in front of the press and with Ben’s daughter and Chris in the hall.

As an NEU member and activist of more than 37 years I have welcomed the support for us and the right to protest in general.

Unfortunately, reactionary forces prevented me from speaking using a procedural amendment via standing orders.

Despite dressing this up as concern for protecting conference time from external speakers, it is clear from statements I have seen that the motivation for this is that I am alleged to be transphobic.

This is an allegation I totally reject.

It is quite difficult to come to terms with the fact that people can attach a label to you and then decide that this makes you unworthy of being heard on what is a totally separate but fundamental issue for our class — the right to protest.

This is not an isolated example of cancel culture in our unions and is something our movement has to confront urgently.

With far-right forces on the march and growing authoritarianism from the state our class must be united.

The answer to the question, “Whose side are you on?” cannot be “Yours, but only if you agree with everything I say.”

This abrogation of basic solidarity is thrown into sharp relief by the shocking guilty verdicts against Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham handed down the next day, and the fact that this means that Sophie Bolt  and I will now face trial on similar charges.

This is the text of the speech I was going to make , which as you can see addresses the events, charges and trial.

THANK you for giving me this opportunity to provide some context to the issues you debated in motion 21 this morning, and to highlight that this is a red alert for democracy and the labour movement.

Since October 2023 the Palestine Coalition has organised 35 national demonstrations against the genocide in Gaza, each with hundreds of thousands of participants.

Those figures alone tell you that Palestine is the defining issue of our time.

Each demonstration has been peaceful, well-organised, and well stewarded. The police accept that there have been a minimal number of arrests.

No more than you see on Oxford Street on any given Saturday or outside a big football match.
The only harassment and intimidation we have witnessed has come from far-right supporters of the Israeli government.

Yet, despite this record, we have faced unprecedented police restrictions — on where we march, how we march, what chants we can use, and even how much noise we can make!

At one stage, we were asked: “You have made your point. Why do you need to keep doing this?”

Conference, we keep marching because injustice continues.

We keep marching because killing continues.

We keep marching because silence is not an option.

In the build-up to our 21st national demonstration on January 18 2025, we entered tense negotiations with the police.

Having agreed that we could assemble at the BBC and march to Whitehall, they withdrew that permission.

They then suggested reversing our route—only to withdraw that too.

It is evident they were buckling under political pressure.

We were finally restricted to a static protest in Whitehall.

From there, we proposed a simple, symbolic act: a delegation of 30 people carrying flowers, walking towards the BBC.

That delegation included Palestine Coalition leaders, MPs, actors, an 87 year-old Holocaust survivor — and [former National Education Union joint general secretary] Kevin Courtney carrying a shoe belonging to his infant grandson — a simple, powerful symbol of peace and innocence.

Our intention was entirely peaceful: if stopped by the police, we would lay the flowers in front of them and then disperse.

That is exactly what we did.

There was no violence or disorder from our side.

The only act of violence was the arrest of Chris Nineham  —wrestled to the ground by five police officers as we waited to lay the flowers.

In the days that followed, many of us were called in for questioning and, as you know, four leaders of the Coalition were charged with public order offences — charges which can carry a custodial sentence.

Conference, the various attempts to demonise, restrict, and criminalise the Palestine movement are part of a wider effort to demoralise, and derail us.

But far from succeeding - they have made us stronger, more determined, and more united.

Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal have stood trial, and the outcome will determine what happens to the rest of us.

Their trial lasted six days—four for the prosecution, barely two for the defence.

A single judge will deliver the verdict tomorrow morning.

A guilty verdict will have consequences for the entire movement, shaping how protests are policed and testing the limits of our right to dissent.

I want to thank Daniel Kebede for his support and for the leadership he has shown in bringing together trade union leaders to sign and publish a collective letter defending the right to protest.

That act of solidarity sends a clear message: the trade union movement stands with us and will not allow democratic rights to be eroded without a fight.

Conference, we will not be silenced. We will be back on the streets on May 16 for the annual Nakba Day march.

Disgracefully, the police have refused our proposed route, while allowing a Tommy Robinson hate march to finish in Whitehall, Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square.

So we must respond in the only way that has ever worked: by turning out in our thousands — for Palestine, and against racism and division.

Conference, thank you for your time and your solidarity.

Free, free Palestine.