Two activists convicted of harassing justice minister over Israel-Hamas conflict
Two pro-Palestinian activists who accused a Government minister of supporting genocide relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict have been convicted of harassment.
Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, were found guilty of the charge against Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, following a trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday.
They had filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, who had been campaigning in the village of Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in the lead-up to the general election, on June 26 last year.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring found both defendants guilty of harassment and sentenced them to a conditional discharge and fine.
Giving evidence during the trial, Ms Davies-Jones told the court she was 'terrified' after being confronted by the two activists.
As she made her way to the campaign meeting place, she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide' – referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Ms Davies-Jones said: 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote.
'It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation.
'I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk.
'They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us – 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?''
Later in the day, Behit and Ahmed put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd – the base of Ms Davies-Jones' campaign for the general election – that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'.
They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office and a poster reading 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop, while a video of the confrontation was uploaded onto social media describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist.
Asked about how their actions made her feel, the politician, who was first elected as MP for Pontypridd in 2019, told the court: 'I was terrified.
'I was worried because of the risk to my team and supporters, and my reputation given it was the general election and what that would mean.'
Sentencing, Mr Goldspring told Ahmed and Behit: 'This was part of a deliberate and sustained campaign targeting the complainant.
'This course of conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her and she did experience alarm and distress. She stopped canvassing.
'It was not reasonable and it was oppressive.'
The judge said the defendants did have rights to freedom of speech but this case went 'beyond the boundaries' of this protection and was 'beyond robust scrutiny or political process'.
He sentenced Ahmed, a final year architecture student at Cardiff University with no previous convictions, to a 12-month conditional discharge.
Behit, who has a conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff last year, received an 18-month conditional discharge.
They were both ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge, at a rate of £20 per month.
Mr Goldspring added: 'I would love to say you are remorseful. I suspect you are not.
'I suspect your views will be held until something happens very differently in that area of the world.'
Ahmed, giving evidence, said she and Behit lived in Treforest and had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones' actions on Palestine ahead of the election.
She said the defendants, both of Treforest, had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them.
Ahmed said: 'I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her.
'It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild.'
Ahmed said the action taken against Ms Davies-Jones 'wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine'.
Behit told the court: 'She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex.
'My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person.
'Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
31 minutes ago
Swansea activist detained in Israel after standing with threatened West Bank villagers
Calls for justice as 70-year-old D. Murphy is held in Israeli prison amid crackdown on foreign observers A SWANSEA-BASED peace activist is being detained in an Israeli prison after she was arrested while standing in solidarity with Palestinian families facing imminent displacement in the West Bank. D. Murphy, a 70-year-old Irish citizen who resides in Swansea, was arrested alongside Swedish national Susanne Björk in the village of Khalet Al-Daba'a on May 31. Both women are reported to have complied with Israeli army orders but were accused of entering a restricted military area and failing to identify themselves. Murphy has since been transferred from Ben Gurion Airport to Givon Prison in Ramla. Her legal team is in contact with Israeli authorities, but her family and supporters have yet to speak to her directly. Björk was deported on Sunday, while Murphy is opposing deportation and faces a hearing before an Israeli judge. Her son, Dale Ryan, told campaigners: 'As far as I can see, her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people. I'm proud of my mother for standing up for human rights.' Murphy and Björk were present in Khalet Al-Daba'a, a small village in the Masafer Yatta region, to witness and report on the treatment of residents. The area has been subject to severe restrictions and demolitions by Israeli forces, with activists alleging ethnic cleansing and illegal land seizure by settlers. Masafer Yatta has long been under threat of forced removal since Israeli authorities designated it as a military firing zone in the 1980s. In recent months, violence has escalated. On May 5, Israeli forces destroyed 90% of homes and basic infrastructure in Khalet Al-Daba'a. Since then, settlers have returned almost daily, reportedly harassing remaining families and attempting to establish an illegal outpost. Murphy said in a statement before her arrest: 'This isn't about politics. It's about justice. Ordinary people like me are answering the call to witness what's happening because most governments are doing nothing.' The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which organises peaceful observation missions in the region, said that Israeli authorities are increasingly targeting foreign nationals. A US citizen was deported from the same village in March, and the Israeli government has announced plans to build 22 new settlements despite international rulings declaring them illegal. The situation has prompted calls from human rights groups and campaigners in the UK and Ireland to urge the Foreign Office to intervene and demand Murphy's release. The Herald understands that Ms Murphy is a long-time activist who previously participated in humanitarian missions in Palestine. Her supporters say she poses no threat and was acting peacefully when arrested. A spokesperson for ISM said: 'International observers are being criminalised simply for documenting what is happening on the ground. We urge Welsh and UK representatives to stand up for D. Murphy and for the people of Masafer Yatta.' The UK Government has yet to issue a public response regarding Murphy's detention.
Rhyl Journal
31 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Reeves to stick to fiscal rules amid budget wrangles ahead of spending review
The Chancellor has been involved in wrangles with Cabinet colleagues over departmental budgets ahead of next week's spending review. She insisted her self-imposed 'fiscal rules' were 'non-negotiable' because she would not risk the economic chaos that could be caused if the markets lost faith in her ability to control spending. The Chancellor said the combination of tax hikes she has already unveiled and the changes to the way borrowing for investment is accounted for meant £300 billion extra was available over the coming years. But she acknowledged this was not enough to meet the demands made by ministers. She said: 'Not every department will get everything that they want next week and I have had to say no to things that I want to do too.' But, she added: 'That's not because of my fiscal rules. It is a result of 14 years of Conservative maltreatment of our public services, our public realm and of our economy.' She said there were 'good things I've had to say no to' but 'the reason for that is because it is important to have control of the public finances'. Ms Reeves denied she would be forced into mounting another massive tax raid in order to meet her fiscal rules, which include a promise to match day-to-day spending with revenues. She said: 'We made decisions in the budget last year to increase taxes by £40 billion. 'We have absolutely no intention of repeating a budget on that scale again.' And she rejected claims that a squeeze on the Home Office budget – reportedly one of the departments holding off on agreeing a deal with the Treasury – would damage policing. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, warned that cuts to police budgets will have 'far-reaching consequences'. Asked about warnings from Sir Mark and other policing leaders, the Chancellor said: 'We will be increasing spending on police in the spending review next week, so that's not a decision or a choice that I would recognise.' Ms Reeves was speaking in Rochdale as she confirmed plans to tear up Treasury Green Book rules to help fund billions of pounds of investment in cities across England. The £15.6 billion package for mayoral authorities included funding to extend the metros in Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, along with a renewed tram network in South Yorkshire and a new mass transit systems in West Yorkshire. Green Book rules have been criticised in some quarters for favouring investment in London and the South East. The move means more money for areas of the North and Midlands, including the so-called red wall, where Labour MPs face an electoral challenge from Reform UK. Ms Reeves said: 'The choice is already clear: Where Reform and the Conservatives would gamble with Britain's future, Labour will invest in that future. 'Where they offer chaos, Labour offers stability. 'Where they offer decline, Labour offers investment. 'And where they offer more of the same, we offer change; change that we can now deliver because of the choices we have made.' For too long, people in the North & Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of investment, we're giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain's renewal. — Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) June 4, 2025 The investment announced on Wednesday includes £2.4 billion for the West Midlands to fund an extension of the region's metro from Birmingham city centre to the new sports quarter, and £2.1 billion to start building West Yorkshire Mass Transit by 2028. Greater Manchester will receive £2.5 billion for projects including new tram stops in Bury, Manchester and Oldham and an extension of the tram network to Stockport. A £1.5 billion investment in South Yorkshire will include £530 million to renew the region's trams, while the East Midlands will receive £2 billion to design a new mass transit system between Derby and Nottingham. In the south, the west of England will receive £800 million, including £200 million to develop mass transit links between Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and north Somerset.
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
Spending Review: What is it and what might Rachel Reeves announce?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing some difficult choices in the upcoming Spending Review, which sets the budgets for all government departments over the next few years. The review will confirm how much taxpayers' money will be spent on the NHS and other public services used by millions, as well as how much money the government plans to invest in projects like new public transport schemes. What is the Spending Review and when is it? The Spending Review will be delivered by Reeves on Wednesday, 11 October she set department budgets for 2025-26, and will now confirm spending allocations for the following three to four years. Reeves has already set out what is known as the "spending envelope" - how much total government spending will rise by over the Wednesday this will be broken down by department. The review covers two categories of spending:day-to-day spending which includes things like salaries, supplies and other administration costs. This is known as "resource" spendinginvestment which includes funding for infrastructure as well as building things like new schools, hospitals and roads. This called "capital" spendingWednesday's Spending Review will set out day-to-day expenditure for three years and investment spending for four years. How is the UK economy doing and how much room for manoeuvre does Reeves have? Government borrowing - which is the difference between how much it spends and how much it raises from taxes - grew to £20.2bn in was £1bn higher than the same month in 2024, and more than some economists tax revenue increased in April, notably as a result of the increase in the amount of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) paid by employers, so did was largely because of increases in pensions and other benefits and other pay rises as well as higher borrowing costs. Meanwhile, the financial buffer that allows Reeves to meet the government's two self-imposed fiscal rules is very rules are that:day-to-day government spending should be paid for with tax revenue, not borrowing, and the amount of government debt should fall as a share of national income by the end of the current parliament in 2029-30The government is currently forecast to have a budget surplus of £9.9bn at that point - which is the third-smallest on record. This surplus is often referred to as "headroom" and theoretically acts as buffer against an economic shock or an increase in because the projected surplus is so small, it is very vulnerable, Between the Autumn Budget and Spring Statement in March, some of it was wiped out by higher debt interest payments and sluggish economic growth. As a result, Reeves announced a £14bn package of savings in March, including £4.8bn of welfare cuts. The latest official data suggests that the UK economy could be strengthening. It grew by 0.7% between January and March, which was better than it is not clear whether that growth will continue, especially as US President Donald Trump's US tariffs hit the UK and wider global economy. What has already been announced ahead of the Spending Review? The government has already said that the increase in the total spending on day-to-day running costs and on investment is going to be relatively modest for the years covered by the Spending could mean that "sharp trade-offs are unavoidable", according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think example, the government has said that the overseas aid budget will be cut to fund a sharp increase in defence spending. Spending on defence will rise from 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.5% by 2027. That's around an extra £5bn a year. Ministers want to increase defence spending further to 3% by is set to unveil a £15.6bn package to fund extensions to trams, trains and buses in Greater Manchester, the Midland as well as Tyne-and-Wear, after criticism that too much infrastructure spending targeted London and the yet, there are no details about how much money will be allocated to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which oversees the due to its size - nearly 40% of total departmental expenditure this year will go to DHSC - its budget can have a considerable impact on those of other departments. Reeves has confirmed that the government will revise its controversial decision to limit Winter Fuel Payments to those in receipt of means-tested while the government will share some information about who will receive the payment as part of the Spending Review, full details will not be released until the Budget later in the government also wants to increase investment. Reeves has tinkered with the way that debt is measured to free up more than £100bn to fund building, research and development as well as other major have been reports that she could announce a new nuclear power station in Suffolk. Sizewell C, a project that is jointly owned by the UK government and the French state-owned energy giant EDF, wants to begin construction of a power station that will be funded by taxpayers and private government may also set out detailed plans to build small modular reactors (SMRs) - mini nuclear power stations - in England and Wales.
