Solidarity call for 31 July – Defend the Right to Protest
Join us outside Westminster Magistrates Court as we stand in solidarity with Stop the War chair Alex Kenny and CND general secretary Sophie Bolt as they face charges for peacefully protesting for Palestine.
🗓️ Thursday 31 July
⏰ 9am SHARP
📍 Westminster Magistrates Court, Marylebone Road, NW1 5BR (nearest tubes Marylebone/Baker St/Edgware Road)
Many of you will be concerned about the government crackdown on peaceful protest, particularly related to Palestine solidarity. On 18 January this year 77 people were arrested in a controversy over the route of the Palestine Solidarity march. Initially Ben Jamal (the Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign) and Chris Nineham (the Vice-Chair of the Stop the War Coalition) were charged. Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were also arrested and interviewed under caution with nine others, but will face No Further Action.
The latest development in this crackdown on protests is that days before the 6 month deadline for filing charges passed, two more organisers have been charged. Alex Kenny, the Chair of Stop the War, and Sophie Bolt, the General Secretary of CND. They will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 31 July at 9.00. Jo Grady has signed the open letter of solidarity from union general secretaries below.
Alex Kenny is well known to many at the Institute of Education as a former member of the NEC of the National Education Union (formerly NUT) and the Socialist Teachers Alliance. Please join UCU colleagues at Westminster Magistrates Court at 9am on 31st July to show support for Alex and Sophie.
Read more here:
https://www.stopwar.org.uk/events/defend-the-right-to-protest-defend-alex-kenny-and-sophie-bolt
UK union leaders express fear over erosion of right to protest in open letter: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/15/union-leaders-protest-open-letter-palestine
Coverage of 18 January arrests: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gen2vn9x0o
