Pro-Palestine protester cleared of racial offence for Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman coconut placard says she has no regrets and would use term again
A pro-Palestinian protester acquitted over displaying a placard that depicted former premier Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts says she has no regrets.
A pro-Palestinian protester acquitted over displaying a placard that depicted former premier Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts says she has no regrets.
Marieha Hussain, 37, was last week found not guilty at Westminster magistrates court of a racially aggravated public order offence at a Gaza rally last November.
The psychology teacher has now spoken for the first time since her acquittal to blast police and accuse officers of being hostile and aggressive when they interviewed her in one of the most distressing experiences of my life.
The heavily pregnant mother of two defended herself for smiling as she proudly held up the placard saying anyone who found the term coconut offensive did not understand it.
She said the term had been hijacked and (they) decided what they think it means and are prosecuting it as she defiantly said: I have absolutely no reason not to carry that placard around again.
Marieha Mohsin Hussain (pictured centre) was seen at a pro-Palestinian rally last year with a banner depicting Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak as coconuts
The mother of two (pictured arriving at Westminster magistrates court last week) was found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence
In response to her claims about the police interview, Scotland Yard said a line manager had found no issues with the officers conduct and no formal complaints have been made.
There were claps and cheers from the public gallery as Ms Hussain was cleared at court on Friday after a trial heard that she quite obviously does not have a racist bone in her body.
Ms Hussain told the Guardian the ordeal had cost her her job, made her move home and even meant she did not recognise the early signs of her pregnancy.
From that day [of the rally] to this very day I have had no regret about making that placard, taking it out and defending it, she said.
Ms Hussain said she was trying to highlight Sunak and Bravermans racism for describing the pro-Palestinian protests as hate marches.
...the Rwanda policy, the comments about Pakistani men. That fed into a really dangerous rhetoric that is actually untrue, she added.
I was trying to highlight actually their racism and their discrimination against an ethnic minority and vulnerable groups.
The term coconut was something Ms Hussain grew up with in our culture where it was flung around easily with her own father calling her the name in her teen years, she said.
She said she would use a similar placard again as its political satire and she cant see any reason why she shouldnt.
Outside court after the hearing, Ms Hussain said: The damage done to my reputation and image can never be undone.
The laws on hate speech must serve to protect us more but this trial shows that these rules are being weaponised to target ethnic minorities.
It goes without saying that this ordeal has been agonising for my family and I. Instead of enjoying my pregnancy Ive been vilified by media, Ive lost my career, Ive been dragged through the court system.
Nearly a year on from the genocide in Gaza, and despite this trial, Im more determined than ever to continue using my voice to defend Palestine.
Clearing Ms Hussain, district judge Vanessa Lloyd said: I find that it was part of the genre of political satire and, as such, the prosecution have not proved to the criminal standard that it was abusive.
The psychology teacher (pictured leaving court last week) has now spoken for the first time since her acquittal to blast police and accuse officers of being hostile and aggressive when they interviewed her
The heavily pregnant Ms Hussain says the trial has had a massive impact on her life with it costing her job, forcing her to move home, and even meant she did not recognise the early signs of her pregnancy
The prosecution has also not proved to the criminal standard that you were aware that your placard may be abusive.
Giving evidence, Ms Hussain said the placard was a light-hearted piece of political banter, a way to depict something serious in a British satirical way, the court heard.
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, Im afraid, incomprehensible to many people.
Officers detained and arrested scores of counter-protesters at the rally on November 11
A counter-protester is detained by police in Parliament Square in central London on November 4
Mr Menon said Ms Hussain is a woman of impeccable character, adding: She is a responsible and thoughtful citizen who genuinely cares about the plight of those less fortunate than her, who is prepared to exercise her democratic right to peaceful protest against injustice.
We submit that she should not be criminalised for her satirical coconut placard, the barrister continued.
It would be a tragedy - I use that word advisedly - for her to be convicted of a racially aggravated offence when she quite obviously does not have a racist bone in her body.
The court heard expert opinion on whether the term coconut is a racial slur.
Mr Menon said experts struggled to see how the term could be capable of being a slur without some qualifying word, behaviour, context that racialises it.
There is no racialising qualifier (in this case), he added.
He questioned why the prosecution did not produce an expert to say the term coconut is a racial slur and why they did not call someone who was offended by Hussains placard to give evidence.
There is, in short, a gaping hole as far as the prosecution evidential case against Marieha Hussain is concerned and we say boldly that the Crown has not even come close to meeting its burden to the criminal standard, Mr Menon said.
In a prepared statement read out to court by the prosecution, Ms Hussain, of Brands Hill Avenue, High Wycombe, said she had attended the pro-Palestine protest with her family.
She 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 on the other side of the placard depicted the former home secretary as Cruella Braverman, Ms Hussain said in her statement.
Prosecutor Jonathan Bryan said the term coconut was a well-known racial slur which has a very clear meaning.
He said: You may be brown on the outside, but youre white on the inside. In other words, youre a race traitor - youre less brown or black than you should be.
Counter-protesters clash with police in Parliament Square in central London, during pro-Palestinian protest march
Protesters hold flares during the pro-Palestinian protest in London on November 11
Several people were detained by police at the march in central London on November 11
Mr Bryan added that Ms Hussain had crossed the line between legitimate political expression and moved into racial insult.
Mr Menon said previously that the humorous and satirical placard was a pictorial attempt to criticise the policy of Rishi Sunak and, particularly, Suella Braverman and their race politics given what was happening at the time in the country.
He told the court: What she is saying is Suella Braverman - then home secretary, sacked two days after - was promoting in different ways a racist political agenda as evidenced by the Rwanda policy, the racist rhetoric she was using around small boats.
And the prime minister was either acquiescing to it or being inactive. It was a political criticism of these two particular politicians.
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service told the Guardian: Our prosecutors reviewed this case carefully and concluded there was enough evidence for it to be presented to a court.
The defendant has been found not guilty and we respect the judges decision.
