MI6 Judge Jeremy Johnson, prosecuting Palestine Action lawyer Rajiv Menon PROMOTED Defend Our Juries
UK judge gags Palestine Action defendants to secure ‘terror’ stitch-up https://politicsthisweek.gn.apc.org/2026/05/the-bristol-politics-show-presented-by-tony-gosling-21/ https://defendourjuries.net/ Desperate to secure a conviction of Palestine Action defendants, a draconian British judge has forbidden them from referring to the principle of jury equity in their closing speeches. It is one of countless restrictions aimed at blocking the activists from mounting an effective defense. https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/uk-judge-gags-palestine-action-defendants This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Since the retrial of six Palestine Action (PA) activists began on April 13, the defendants have been barred under court order from using terms like “genocide” or discussing the target of their direction action protests. Meanwhile, supporters of PA have been arrested outside the court for holding signs advising jurors of their right to acquit the defendants based on conscience. Now, a draft court order reviewed by The Grayzone reveals how the presiding judge has sought to comprehensively neutralize the PA activists’ ability to defend themselves by imposing crippling restrictions on what can be said in closing speeches. Under threat of secret contempt of court charges, the jury may be improperly swayed to convict them of serious crimes, not knowing harsh “terrorism”-related sentences will be attached. PA was formed in 2020 to challenge the presence of Israeli weapons factories on British soil through hundreds of direct actions which focused exclusively on inflicting property damage. The group’s tactics have proved remarkably effective, causing millions in damage to Israel’s Elbit Systems and the closure of numerous factories across Britain. After Elbit appealed to the British state, it began conspiring with the weapons manufacturer to crack down on the activists. The six PA activists currently on trial – Samuel Corner, Jordan Devlin, Charlotte Head, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, and Zoe Rogers – were acquitted of aggravated burglary in February. As The Grayzone exposed on April 12, a biased presiding Judge Jeremy Johnson sought to engineer a legal stitchup before the retrial to ensure the defendants were convicted. A former barrister for the MI6 and Metropolitan Police, Johnson has forbidden the jury from knowing that he can sentence the defendants on “terrorism” charges if they are convicted on lesser criminal charges. During last February’s trial, Judge Johnson employed countless connivances to limit what evidence jurors could hear, while limiting the defenses they could consider when ruling on defendants’ guilt. PA lawyer Rajiv Menon used his closing remarks to remind jurors of their historic legal right to acquit based on conscience, known as jury equity. In multiple previous trials, PA activists had secured acquittals by arguing that their actions were necessary to prevent the much more grave crime of killing of civilians from taking place. Meet Mr. Justice Jeremy Johnson KC: the judge who sentenced Tommy Robinson to 18 months for contempt of court today. He has got a very interesting work history… In 2007, Johnson represented MI6 as an observer at the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed. This was highly unusual as MI6 doesn't typically appoint lawyers to inquests. Johnson also represented the UK Ministry of Defence multiple times. In 2013, he defended them in the Al-Sweady inquiry, addressing allegations of torture and unlawful killings by British soldiers in Iraq. He also acted for them in 2011 on a case involving a serviceman seeking compensation for neurological damage he suffered while serving in the RAF. Appointed by the Attorney General in 2007 as a “special advocate,” Johnson held the highest government security clearance—known as “Developed Vetting”—typically reserved for handling TOP SECRET matters. How much exactly Johnson has been paid in total for such work, we don't know. Records show he was paid twice by the Government Legal Department for his services in 2018—to the tune of £55,000. He also recently ruled on Julian Assange’s extradition case, allowing the U.S. to proceed as long as certain “assurances” were met. Johnson has also acted for the Met Police and their reported use of illegal surveillance. Jeremy Johnson QC said... "facial recognition didn’t breach people’s privacy rights and is similar to the use of CCTV" In short, we have a judge with deep government ties.
UK judge gags Palestine Action defendants to secure ‘terror’ stitch-up https://politicsthisweek.gn.apc.org/2026/05/the-bristol-politics-show-presented-by-tony-gosling-21/ https://defendourjuries.net/ Desperate to secure a conviction of Palestine Action defendants, a draconian British judge has forbidden them from referring to the principle of jury equity in their closing speeches. It is one of countless restrictions aimed at blocking the activists from mounting an effective defense. https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/uk-judge-gags-palestine-action-defendants This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Since the retrial of six Palestine Action (PA) activists began on April 13, the defendants have been barred under court order from using terms like “genocide” or discussing the target of their direction action protests. Meanwhile, supporters of PA have been arrested outside the court for holding signs advising jurors of their right to acquit the defendants based on conscience. Now, a draft court order reviewed by The Grayzone reveals how the presiding judge has sought to comprehensively neutralize the PA activists’ ability to defend themselves by imposing crippling restrictions on what can be said in closing speeches. Under threat of secret contempt of court charges, the jury may be improperly swayed to convict them of serious crimes, not knowing harsh “terrorism”-related sentences will be attached. PA was formed in 2020 to challenge the presence of Israeli weapons factories on British soil through hundreds of direct actions which focused exclusively on inflicting property damage. The group’s tactics have proved remarkably effective, causing millions in damage to Israel’s Elbit Systems and the closure of numerous factories across Britain. After Elbit appealed to the British state, it began conspiring with the weapons manufacturer to crack down on the activists. The six PA activists currently on trial – Samuel Corner, Jordan Devlin, Charlotte Head, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, and Zoe Rogers – were acquitted of aggravated burglary in February. As The Grayzone exposed on April 12, a biased presiding Judge Jeremy Johnson sought to engineer a legal stitchup before the retrial to ensure the defendants were convicted. A former barrister for the MI6 and Metropolitan Police, Johnson has forbidden the jury from knowing that he can sentence the defendants on “terrorism” charges if they are convicted on lesser criminal charges. During last February’s trial, Judge Johnson employed countless connivances to limit what evidence jurors could hear, while limiting the defenses they could consider when ruling on defendants’ guilt. PA lawyer Rajiv Menon used his closing remarks to remind jurors of their historic legal right to acquit based on conscience, known as jury equity. In multiple previous trials, PA activists had secured acquittals by arguing that their actions were necessary to prevent the much more grave crime of killing of civilians from taking place. Meet Mr. Justice Jeremy Johnson KC: the judge who sentenced Tommy Robinson to 18 months for contempt of court today. He has got a very interesting work history… In 2007, Johnson represented MI6 as an observer at the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed. This was highly unusual as MI6 doesn't typically appoint lawyers to inquests. Johnson also represented the UK Ministry of Defence multiple times. In 2013, he defended them in the Al-Sweady inquiry, addressing allegations of torture and unlawful killings by British soldiers in Iraq. He also acted for them in 2011 on a case involving a serviceman seeking compensation for neurological damage he suffered while serving in the RAF. Appointed by the Attorney General in 2007 as a “special advocate,” Johnson held the highest government security clearance—known as “Developed Vetting”—typically reserved for handling TOP SECRET matters. How much exactly Johnson has been paid in total for such work, we don't know. Records show he was paid twice by the Government Legal Department for his services in 2018—to the tune of £55,000. He also recently ruled on Julian Assange’s extradition case, allowing the U.S. to proceed as long as certain “assurances” were met. Johnson has also acted for the Met Police and their reported use of illegal surveillance. Jeremy Johnson QC said... "facial recognition didn’t breach people’s privacy rights and is similar to the use of CCTV" In short, we have a judge with deep government ties.