British prosecutors given seven-day deadline on Palestine coalition case
Supporters outside Westminster Magistrates Court, March 2026
Amer Sultan reports in The New Arab on 5 March 2026:
The Westminster magistrates’ court has given the British Crown prosecution seven days to consider whether to drop its case against two leaders of the Palestine Coalition.
The trial involves Ben Jamal, director of the Campaign for Solidarity with Palestine, and Chris Nineham, vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition. They face charges of breaching the Public Order Act, violating protest restrictions, and inciting others to do so during a national march on 18 January 2025, denouncing Israeli crimes of genocide in Gaza.
If convicted, Jamal and Nineham could face prison sentences exceeding one year.
On the fourth day of the trial, 4 March, Mark Summers, lead defence lawyer, asked the prosecution to consider dropping the charges against Jamal and Nineham. Judge Daniel Steinberg gave prosecutor Kevin Dent seven days to consider the request. The defence argued, “There is no case to answer in law.”