TWO pro-Palestine campaigners being found guilty of breaching protest conditions yesterday is “a huge setback for civil liberties,” supporters said.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) director Ben Jamal and Stop the War vice-chair Chris Nineham made clear they will be appealing the verdicts as they criticised the “absurdity” of the case.

Jeremy Corbyn called the verdicts “a dark day for civil liberties in this country.”

District judge Daniel Sternberg found both Mr Jamal and Mr Nineham guilty of failing to comply with conditions imposed on the January 18 2025 Whitehall protest.

Mr Jamal was in addition found guilty of inciting others to fail to comply following the trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

A key part of the defence was that the conditions imposed on the protest, which prevented a march to the BBC, were unlawful.

Defence barrister, Mark Summers KC, submitted a detailed legal argument outlining this case, including that the Court of Appeal had already ruled in a previous case that imposing conditions on the basis of “more than minor” disruption was unlawful.

But Mr Sternberg told the court he was not obliged to give any reasons for his decision, instead handing it down in a 54-page written judgment, with a short summary for the media.

He gave both men conditional discharges of 18 and 12 months respectively and ordered them each to pay £7,500 in costs.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Nineham said: “We think this is an extraordinary and shocking decision and a huge setback for civil liberties in this country.

“It is clearly part of an ongoing criminalisation of the Palestine movement in which people protesting against a genocide are being targeted by a British Establishment that is colluding with it.

“It is an attempt to send a chilling message across society that people shouldn’t risk protesting. It is an attempt that will not stop us.”

Mr Jamal said: “We will be appealing. We will be appealing because of concerns about how this trial has been conducted.

“The judge did not see fit to deliver his judgment in open court.

“I have always been of the view that in a court, justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.

“Those who attended this case will have a clear view as to whether that requirement has been met.”

He argued that although the reason given for the orders imposed to prevent a march to the BBC was a threat of “serious disruption” to a nearby synagogue, not a single piece of evidence was presented at the time or during the trial of any substantive or real threat to anyone seeking to worship in a synagogue arising from the coalition’s marches.

The Palestine Coalition, which includes the PSC, Stop the War, the CND and Friends of Al-Aqsa, condemned the “extraordinary and shocking” verdicts.

They called it “a huge setback for civil liberties” and highlighted “significant concerns” about the conduct of the six-day hearing, which will be raised during appeal.

Left MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, who were both part of the delegation on the day of the protest that walked peacefully in a symbolic protest towards the BBC to lay flowers, were in court and condemned the verdicts.

Mr Corbyn said: “I am appalled by today’s verdict against Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham. We held an entirely peaceful demonstration in support of Palestinian people.

“At all times, they — and we — followed all police instructions. We ended the demonstration by laying down flowers at their feet to mourn the deaths of Palestinian children.

“Today’s verdict is — and is a disgraceful assault on the right to protest.

“My solidarity is with Ben, Chris and all those who have stood up for our common humanity in the face of genocide.

“This case is part of a wider attempt to intimidate the Palestinian solidarity movement into silence. They will never succeed.”

Mr McDonnell added: “I’ve been in court to hear this unjust judgment. It stands as an assault on our civil liberties and the right to protest.

“I was with Ben and Chris on the demonstration and at all times they followed police directions. We will stand in solidarity.”