LONDON (Middle East Eye) – The Zionist regime’s embassy officials in London could have attempted to exert influence on the prosecution of pro-Palestine protesters, according to documents seen by The Guardian.
The documents, disclosed by the attorney general’s office (AGO) via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, reveal multiple attempts by Zionist regime embassy officials to pressure the director general of the AGO, Douglas Wilson, to interfere with court cases relating to protesters.
While the disclosed emails and meeting minutes are heavily redacted and specifics of the officials’ demands are unclear, in an email dated 9 May Wilson refers to the “operational independence of the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service], and the AGO’s ability to bring about prosecutions”.
The email, which came after months of direct action targeting the sites and offices of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit systems by the non-violent direct-action group Palestine Action, also outlines restrictions imposed by the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Act, controversial legislation that has drawn fire from campaign groups for severely restricting the right to protest.
In the same email, Wilson mentions the Colston statue case, where anti-racism protesters in Bristol toppled the statue of a local figure that grew his wealth through slavery. In the case, a referral by the attorney general triggered a decision by the court of referral that protesters accused of “significant criminal” damage could not be acquitted using human rights defenses, a ruling that further curtailed the right to protest.
Since the Colston ruling, Palestine solidarity activists, as well as environmental campaigners, have been convicted for targeting private property, a crime that previously they could have been acquitted for using human rights defenses.
A section of the disclosed correspondence, dating from February, discussed the possibility of a joint declaration to seek “closer bilateral cooperation” over “legislation and legal reform, civil and criminal law and legal education” between the respective countries’ justice ministries.
The same email also discusses private (citizen’s) arrests in the UK for alleged war crimes. Wilson mentions the tightening of procedures for these cases and advises about “special mission immunity”, a status that was previously used to grant immunity to former Zionist foreign minister Tzipi Livni.
According to Palestine Action, the revelations are the latest evidence of collusion between the UK government and the Zionist regime to crack down on pro-Palestine activism in UK.