Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
29 June
JUDGE DENOUNCES ISRAELI CRIMES - JURY ACQUITS
29 June 2010 was the second day of Judge Bathurst-Norman’s summing up to the jury in the trial of seven Palestine solidarity campaigners who were acquitted of damaging a Brighton arms factory supplying Israel, causing £180,000 of damage. The jury accepted their defence that they had acted "to prevent Israeli war crimes". Judge Bathurst-Norman described “horrific scenes, scenes of devastation to civilian population” in Gaza, “which one would rather have hoped to have disappeared with the Nazi regimes”.
القاضي يستنكر الجرائم الإسرائيلية - يُبَرِّئ المتهم أمام هيئة المحلفين
29 يونيو
The full text of Judge Bathurst-Norman's summing up to the jury was so good SPSC published it unamended as a pamphlet, Israel Summed Up, with an introductory essay. During his summing up the judge said to the jury:
Now you have to look at the evidence coldly and dispassionately. It may be as you went through what I can only describe as horrific scenes, scenes of devastation to civilian population, scenes which one would rather have hoped to have disappeared with the Nazi regimes of the last war, you may have felt anger and been absolutely appalled by them, but you must put that emotion aside.
Equally, you must put aside any feelings of being thoroughly ashamed of our Government, of the American Government and the United Nations and the EU in doing nothing about what was happening...You may think that perhaps “Hell on Earth” would be an understatement of what the Gazans endured at that time.”