BREAKING 84 year old Reverend Sue Parfitt arrested under the UK Terrorism Act for giving speech outside New Scotland Yard on the anniversary of the proscription of Palestine Action. Stood on a soap box, Sue explained her motivation. Join the Escalation:

The Government call it modernisation, we call it gagging justice! Instead of improving accessibility, they are scrapping the part of court that protects us all, victim or accused. Great to see today's actions across the country on @itvnews #DefendOurJuries# #JusticeNeedsJuries#

The Courts and Tribunals Bill will see a single judge replace a jury for cases where a prison sentence of three years or less is expected. “After 800 years of Trial by Jury, the government is dismantling this cornerstone of the British justice system”

Protest at Carlisle Court as ministers plan to cut juries "Cutting trials by jury, and replacing them with a single judge, will not cut the backlog of trials, but it will undermine true justice”

‘It’s an inalienable right’: York campaigners fight for jury trials Today’s protest was organised by the Jury Alliance. It argues that juries “protect us from unfair prosecutions, biased judges, political interference and state overreach”.

Campaigners gather at Nottingham Crown Court over jury trial reforms “I worked as a probation officer for 35 years, and I’m alarmed at the very real prospect of people being denied the right to a fair trial.”

Truro Crown Court protest against plans by Government to scrap jury trials Jury trials have been in use in England for 800 years. 'It is almost unbelievable that we should have come to this at a time when our freedoms are already under threat.'

Deborah Hinton, a former magistrate, thinks removal of juries is a step towards authoritarianism. "How they decide before the case has even got to the courts who's going to be getting a sentence of less than three years - your guess is as good as mine."

No juries = No justice! Today The Jury Alliance went to over 40 courts across England and Wales to speak to the public about the attack on juries. Legal professionals, court staff, and passers by were supportive and also opposed to these draconian changes.

Former home secretary Yvette Cooper risked prejudicing the trial of six Palestine Action activists by writing an article justifying her decision to ban the group, the Guardian has revealed. The Crown Prosecution Service warned Cooper that her op-ed in the Observer last August might unfairly impact the outcome of an ongoing trial relating to a break-in at an Israeli-owned weapons factory. The activists were cleared of aggravated burglary at the end of that trial but, following a retrial, four of them were found guilty of criminal damage on 5 May. They now face being sentenced under anti-terrorism law despite the fact the jury was only aware of the criminal damage charges. In the article, Cooper wrote that Palestine Action activists were facing “charges that include, in the assessment of the independent Crown Prosecution Service, a terrorism connection.” At the time, it had not been made public that anyone arrested in connection to the group’s activities was facing terrorism-related charges, and the media was banned from reporting on it until after this month’s verdict. In response to Cooper’s article, defence lawyers argued last year that a fair trial would be impossible. They said in a written submission that the article was “dripping in innuendo.” They added: “In one breath, she is saying that many important details cannot yet be publicly reported; in another, she is reporting some of those very details herself”. In a pre-trial ruling in November, Mr Justice Johnson said Cooper “was specifically advised that going ahead with the article might prejudice these proceedings” but she “went ahead anyway”. But he dismissed the defence’s application and ruled that the article did not ultimately prejudice proceedings. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The judge concluded that the article did not prevent a fair trial taking place.” Cooper’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was ruled unlawful by the high court earlier this year, but the ban remains in place amid an appeal by the government. More than 3,000 people have been arrested for defying the ban by holding signs expressing their support for the group and their opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Can't be much clearer than this from @TheCriminalBar 👏 These changes will impact everyone whether in your life you end up a victim or accused #JusticeNeedsJuries#. Where is the coverage?! Today we supported action outside over 40 courts to raise our voices in defence of juries.

Juries must be allowed to follow their conscience In 1670 a group of jurors who defied a judge helped establish the independence of the jury – but the Palestine Action trials suggest that is now under threat

Nottingham out in force to defend our juries today! Campaigners outside crown court for a national day of action said: NO JURIES = NO JUSTICE! While @NadiaWhittomeMP wrote in @LeftLion explaining why juries are a safeguard for all of us against a concentration of power.

CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung grilled 'Lord' Walney, who advised the government to ban Palestine Action, on his ties to pro-Israel lobby groups. The biggest mass defiance of the ban is yet to come. Sign up to join us in October: