TEACHERS vowed today to pay the court fines imposed on Palestine solidarity leaders Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham.

News of their conviction broke shortly before delegates at the National Education Union (NEU) conference passed a motion opposing US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s wars and calling for immediate ceasefires in the Middle East.

Moving the motion, NEU executive member Louise Regan said: “We’ve just found out that Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal have been found guilty on all charges… It’s an attack on all of us who are speaking out for justice for the Palestinian people.”

Delegates applauded as fellow executive member Jessica Edwards said: “I wanted to raise my view that we collect money to pay the fines of Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham here at conference — fined for standing up for the right to protest.”

Educators condemned the Iranian regime as despotic and authoritarian but opposed the US bid for regime change through war.

Ms Edwards said: “Don’t fall for the lies. We heard them in Afghanistan and we heard them in Iraq.

“When you bomb a civilian population, you strengthen the hold of the regime on the population.”

The motion called on the union’s leadership to oppose all British involvement in the Iran war and urged the government to close Britain’s airspace to the US air force.

It condemned the US attack on Venezuela in early January and kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, calling on the Labour government to hand back gold worth £3.8 billion to the Venezuelan government.

The NEU also urged ministers to publicly oppose Washington’s de facto oil blockade of Cuba and to send humanitarian aid to the socialist island.

Delegates reaffirmed the union’s “total opposition to the ongoing genocide” of the Palestinian people and voted for the NEU to produce guidance to help teachers answering pupils’ questions about current world conflicts.

General secretary Daniel Kebede said: “We reaffirm the union’s respect for international law and the vital necessity of holding all governments to that standard. 

“Conference believes the actions by President Trump against Cuba breach international law and will worsen humanitarian conditions.

“The NEU is alarmed at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, particularly in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, and the terrible civilian casualties, destruction of schools and infrastructure.”