UK crackdown on pro-Palestine speech faces landmark legal test

Activist and humanitarian aid worker Majid Freeman is due in court this week as the final phase of his landmark case comes to an end.

Freeman was charged with encouraging terrorism over social media posts in which he allegedly invited support for Hamas and expressed support for the group. He was arrested in July last year.

Freeman has pleaded not guilty, with the jury expected to reach a decision as early as Wednesday or Thursday this week, amid a widening crackdown on pro-Palestinian sentiment across the country.

The allegations against Freeman do not accuse him of committing any physical act of terrorism, operational involvement or financial support. The charges relate directly to social media posts which prosecutors claim could indicate sympathy with, or vocal support for, Hamas and Palestinian resistance.

Anas Mustapha, head of public advocacy at the international advocacy organisation CAGE, said: “Majid Freeman is a community activist, a humanitarian and a man of conscience who refused to be silent about the genocide in Gaza. He has been a target ever since his exposure of Leicester’s former failed Labour MP, Jonathan Ashworth, and his subsequent unflinching campaigning for the Palestinians in Gaza.

“This is the security state seeking to discipline the entire Muslim community by targeting one of its most active voices for justice. To do so in defence of a genocide makes this prosecution all the more dubious and its motives entirely political.

“Regardless of the outcome, Majid has consistently upheld the truth: occupied people have the right and obligation to resist their occupiers. Supporting that can never be a crime.”

Critics say Majid’s trial could become a landmark case. Amid a widening crackdown on pro-Palestinian slogans such as “globalise the intifada” and calls by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban certain protests, this case could become a litmus test for free speech on Palestine.

It may also send a clear signal to the prime minister and other politicians that there is no straightforward legal framework to ban pro-Palestinian slogans or sentiments outright, and that attempts to do so could face serious challenges in court.

The case may also test whether expressions of support for the right of occupied peoples to resist can be prosecuted as terrorism in the UK. If Freeman is convicted, critics are likely to argue that the ruling places UK courts at odds with international law, UN resolutions and the Geneva Conventions, which affirm protections and rights for peoples living under occupation.

The case comes amid a series of legal actions against pro-Palestinian activists and advocates. On Tuesday, four Palestine Action activists were found guilty of criminal damage at a UK site belonging to Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defence firm.

In December 2025, Natalie Strecker was acquitted of two counts of inviting support for Hamas and Hezbollah, based entirely on social media posts using the phrase “the resistance”.

In March this year, former Sussex University student union officer Hanin Barghouti was charged under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 over a speech at a Brighton rally on 8 October 2023. After 15 hours of deliberation, the jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

In February 2023, the High Court ruled that the banning of Palestine Action, an organisation which says it supports Palestinian sovereignty by taking direct action to halt the sale and export of military equipment to Israel, was disproportionate and unlawful. However, the government has appealed the decision, and a Court of Appeal hearing is expected to take place on 28-29 April.

Taken together, these cases point to growing legal unease over the use of terrorism legislation against Palestine solidarity activism. Whether that pattern will have any bearing on Freeman’s case remains to be seen

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.