A woman, Marieha Hussain, was acquitted of a racially aggravated public order offence for displaying a placard featuring politicians Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as “coconuts” at a pro-Palestine march in London. Hussain defended her actions as political commentary and satire, denying any intent to spread hate speech. Her homemade placards, including one calling Braverman “Cruella Braverman”, aimed to highlight what she saw as racist policies. During the trial, Hussain explained that her family members also brought placards with similar messaging to the protest, receiving requests for pictures but no police intervention. Her lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to…

The London Metropolitan Police Under Fire For Monitoring Pro-Palestine Marches The London Metropolitan Police faced criticism in court for using “anonymous right-wing” accounts to monitor pro-Palestine marches in central London. Marieha Hussain, 37, pleaded not guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence after displaying a controversial placard during a protest. Chris Humphreys, a senior police media manager, revealed that the Met used accounts like Harry’s Place to track protest-related images. The court heard that the police responded to social media commentary to inform their policing strategies. Images were flagged when the Met’s account was tagged or when images garnered…

Pro-Palestine protest groups in London have rescheduled their national march to avoid clashing with a Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Organisers made this decision after consulting with various groups and individuals, including Jewish activists within the pro-Palestine movement. The protest, originally planned for 12 October, has now been moved to 5 October to accommodate the Jewish community and maximize participation in solidarity efforts against the ongoing violence in Palestine. The coalition of groups involved in the march includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain, the Stop the War Coalition, and the Palestine Forum in…

Tens of thousands of protesters marched for Palestine in central London on Saturday, denouncing Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Organized speeches kicked off the march on Regent Street, followed by a procession to the Israeli embassy in South Kensington. Protesters, led by volunteers in green vests, carried Palestine flags and signs calling for a UK arms embargo on Israel and an end to the war in Gaza. Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed, elected on a pro-Palestine platform, joined the march, expressing dissatisfaction with Britain’s partial arms contract cuts with Israel. The protest marked the 18th national…

Former UK immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, intervened in the case of Palestinian student Dana Abu Qamar, whose visa was revoked after speaking in support of Palestine. Legal documents show Jenrick instructed his private secretary to contact the Home Office about Abu Qamar, leading to the visa revocation. Abu Qamar, a law student at the University of Manchester, had her visa revoked on “national security” grounds. She believes it was due to her speech highlighting Palestinian resistance to Israel and subsequent comments in an interview. Now appealing the decision, she criticizes Jenrick’s involvement as unjust and an attempt to suppress her…

The United Arab Emirates has granted clemency to 57 Bangladeshi nationals who were convicted of participating in unauthorized protests against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The UAE’s President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan overturned the lengthy prison sentences imposed on the group and decided to deport them from the country, as reported by Abu Dhabi’s WAM news agency. Following a recent phone call to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government, Nahyan extended his congratulations on Yunus’ appointment after Hasina’s departure. Yunus confirmed the pardon of the Bangladeshi detainees during a press conference in Dhaka. The…

In a contentious move, Ireland has decided to allow Israeli arms companies to sell weapons to the country, despite concerns raised by Irish lawmakers regarding arms sales from Israel due to the conflict in Gaza. The Irish Defence Forces are planning to procure 14 unmanned aerial vehicles worth €600,000 over a year for surveillance, survey, inspection, and search and rescue missions. Although the Irish minister for defence raised reservations about purchasing military equipment from Israel earlier, stating that Ireland would not use Israeli arms to violate international law, Ireland currently uses Israeli-made military equipment. The procurement process for the UAVs…

Bangladesh’s interim government has taken steps to secure the release of 57 Bangladeshis imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates. The detainees were arrested for protesting against former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The protests were in response to her government’s crackdown on student-led demonstrations. The Bangladesh embassy instructed Bangladeshi lawyer Wolora Afrin Rasna to support the jailed protesters, who marched in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah on 22 July. Hasina resigned under popular pressure on 5 August and left the country. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as “chief adviser,” has vowed to free the Bangladeshi detainees.…

Bangladesh’s interim government has taken a significant step by hiring a lawyer to assist in the release of 57 Bangladeshis detained in the United Arab Emirates for protesting against Sheikh Hasina’s rule. The jailed protesters marched on 22 July in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah in response to the crackdown on student-led demonstrations by Hasina’s government. Under immense public pressure, Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh on 5 August. The government’s foreign affairs adviser, Touhid Hossain, revealed that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, acting as the “chief adviser,” has pledged to secure the release of the detained Bangladeshis in the UAE. Afrin…

The UK Supreme Court recently denied Shamima Begum’s appeal against the government’s decision to revoke her British citizenship. Begum, who left for Syria as a teenager and may have been a victim of child trafficking, was unsuccessful in challenging the stripping of her citizenship. Despite claims of unlawful removal of citizenship and lack of access to the Home Secretary, the Supreme Court dismissed Begum’s case. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr acknowledged the harshness of the decision but refrained from passing judgment on Begum’s situation. Stay informed with MEE’s newsletters Sign up for the latest insights and alerts, beginning with Turkey…