Teacher with placard depicting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts not guilty of racially aggravated public order offence

13 September 2024, 16:44 | Updated: 13 September 2024, 16:54

A teacher who held a placard at a pro-Palestine protest depicting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts has been found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Marieha Hussain, 37, and who is pregnant, denied the prosecution's allegation that the placard was "racially abusive" and her trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that she "quite obviously does not have a racist bone in her body".

Hussain denied and was acquitted of the charge on Friday, prompting claps and cheers from her supporters in the public gallery.

'Disturbing attack on the right of freedom of expression'

In his closing speech, Rajiv Menon KC, defending, said: "This prosecution of Ms Hussain is... a disturbing attack on the right of freedom of expression, the right to peaceful protest that did not risk in any shape or form violence or public disorder, the right to anti-racists to criticise members of their own race for pursuing racist policies and using racist rhetoric, the right to satirise our politicians, the right to mock and tease and make fun of our politicians in a light hearted way that Marieha Hussain attempted to do with her placard.

"That Marieha Hussain of all people is being prosecuted for a racially aggravated offence whilst the likes of Suella Braverman and Nigel Farage and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - aka Tommy Robinson - and Frank Hester are seemingly free to make inflammatory and divisive statements... is, I'm afraid, incomprehensible to many people."

In a prepared statement read out to court by the prosecution, Hussain said she had attended the pro-Palestine protest with her family.

She said in the statement: "The march progressed very slowly and in the course we passed many police officers who did not suggest that anything provocative or disturbing was taking place.

"At no stage did anyone on the march suggest that the posters were an expression of hate to anyone in society."

Hussain said the placard was in opposition to an "exceptional manifestation of hatred towards vulnerable or minority groups emanating from the home secretary and supported by the prime minister".

She added in the statement: "I find it astonishing it could be conceived as a message of hate."

An image of the placard, held by Hussain at a protest on November 11, was shown in court. It showed cut-out pictures of Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman placed alongside coconuts under a tree.

As the trial began, around 40 demonstrators waved Palestine flags and listened to speeches outside the court building.

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