The British state has spent the last 23 months actively supporting the apartheid state of Israel to commit genocide against Palestinians. When people speak out against this, they are met with censorship and severe repression, resulting in a crisis of free speech when it comes to Palestine.

Ordinary people expressing their outrage and opposition to the racist ideology of Zionism have been fired, dragged in front professional regulators, maligned as ‘terrorists’ and ‘antisemites’, and even criminally prosecuted.

In the name of solidarity with Palestinians, some of us have chosen to fight back. My name is Ousman Noor and I’m an anti-Zionist barrister and founder of Protect Palestine (www.protect-palestine.com) mobilising international military intervention against the Israeli Occupation Forces to stop the Gaza genocide, as required under international law. 

I am facing regulatory proceedings before the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for tweeting my legal analysis of the violence between Hezbollah and Israel. Along with a team of allies and supporters, we are trying to defend this case in a way that causes maximum damage to Zionism.

British professional regulators have a clear policy of suppressing criticism of this British state-backed genocide. This threatens the independence of the legal profession. The resulting free speech crisis is being deliberately exacerbated by vexatious Zionist lobbying groups such as UK Lawyers for Israel and the so-called ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’.

Legal professionals are being unjustly targeted, harassed, investigated and sanctioned for expressing views that challenge the British government’s political alignment with Israel and the card-carrying fascists who govern it — even when those views are rooted in established legal doctrine.

Counter-terrorism legislation is now being used and abused by UK regulators of the legal profession to suppress legal commentary and stifle free speech, especially that which criticises Israeli colonialism, occupation, racial segregation, apartheid and genocide. Professionals are facing threats to their practising certificates, significant financial penalties, and reputational damage — not for misconduct, but for articulating legal arguments that challenge Zionist narratives.

Mine is one such case. I am facing proceedings at the Bar Tribunal Service, where I’m being prosecuted by the BSB for publishing my legal analysis on social media regarding the rights of armed resistance under international law in the context of Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. My analysis was consistent with my work as a barrister and with international legal standards — yet the BSB, acting after political pressure, is pursuing me by unjustly invoking the Terrorism Act 2000.

There has been no police investigation, no criminal charge — only a regulatory attempt by the BSB to silence legitimate legal analysis. If this authoritarian prosecution succeeds, it could result in the suspension of my practising certificate and heavy financial penalties.

What is at stake goes far beyond one individual. This case will determine whether lawyers in Britain can continue to express legal opinions without fear of political retaliation. It will test the independence of professional regulators and the limits of free expression against the apartheid state of Israel, in and beyond the courtroom.

We are raising £15,000 to support the necessary legal defence — and to send a clear message: the British legal profession must remain independent, principled, and free from Zionist intimidation. Lawyers must remain free to articulate anti-Zionist views, including calls for Israel to be militarily defeated and for its apartheid regime to be dismantled entirely.

I will be represented by solicitors’ firm 5 Pillars Law and barrister Franck Magennis of Garden Court Chambers.

Zionism, like all past colonial projects, will be defeated on the battlefield. But those of us not on the ground in Palestine can still do our part to damage Zionism and create more space for anti-genocide and anti-apartheid speech. Please donate and share this appeal widely.

Thank you.