Azad Ali and Muhammad Rabbani, as well as four other CAGE international
staff, were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates Court this morning for holding up satirical “coconut” signs.
Around 50-70 people attended a protest outside the court in solidarity with Marieha Hussain who appeared today charged with a racially aggravated offence after she compared Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman to coconuts at a pro Palestine demonstration in London.
Police arrived at the protest at around 9.30 am and then proceeded to make arrests. It is believed the CAGE staff are being held at Hammersmith Police Station.
CAGE commented: “This heavy-handed response is a deliberate attempt to silence anti-genocide voices criticising the role of the British government in the crimes taking place in Gaza. We are witnessing the adoption and implementation of tactics deployed in Israel and passed on to the British police.
“As a result, any criticism of Israeli apartheid and genocide is met with aggressive military style policing so that even political satire, however nuanced such as the use of watermelons and coconut images, is now criminalised. The rights to free speech and protest established over many centuries is being destroyed to satisfy the demands of the Israeli state and its supporters. The irony is that it was British culture that brought the world Spitting Image, Private Eye and Yes Minister.
Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, added: “The crackdown on legitimate dissent to defend Israel’s genocide and its accessories is alarming. The Met Police should be busy seeking to arrest Zionist war criminals who travel unhindered to and from the UK.
“We are witnessing the weaponisation of anti-racism laws against religious and ethnic minority groups. It is telling that the five detained, are all Muslims of South Asian descent, have been arrested for criticising Sunak and Braverman, two members of government widely decried for their racist policies.
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“We demand the unconditional release of the five CAGE International members and the immediate return of all coconut fruits. We call on all right-thinking individuals and organisations to stand up for the rights of free speech and protest as all our civil liberties are under attack not just those of those currently incarcerated.”
UPDATE: All the CAGE staff members have been released without charge.
