Jury unanimously acquits Churchill statue spray-painter

Unanimous verdict after just two hours deliberation

Activists in the Netherlands have been carrying out protest actions under the banner Dutch UK Solidarity (DUKS) to highlight their concerns over the ‘terrorist’ proscription of Palestine Action, the increasing repression of protest generally, and the removal of defences in law in our justice system.

In February, Olax Outis sprayed slogans on the Churchill statue in Parliament Square. Their original intention was to write “Never Again Is Now” – the anti-Fascist slogan of Holocaust prisoners liberated from the Buschenwald concentration camp, and used since as a cry against Genocide.

Police took around 15 minutes to respond, leaving Olax to add several more slogans to the statue. Olax fully intended to own up to the action and saw the ensuing court and potential prison spell as a continuation of their protest, highlighting the UK’s complicity in Genocide(s).

Despite the peaceful nature of what was clearly a protest action, and their compliance with the arresting officers, Olax was remanded to prison, spending a couple of days in Pentonville, four weeks at Wormwood Scrubbs, and a further three weeks in Wandsworth. After their release at the end of April, they were on a home curfew until their trial at Southwark Crown Court which began last week.

The judge, Mr Recorder M Chawla KC, withdrew any lawful defences from Olax Outis, who, continuing their protest, refused to stand for the judge throughout the trial, instead only standing out of respect for the jury whenever they were brought in or out of the court.

After the judge imposed severe restrictions on what could be said in court, Olax disposed of the services of their barrister in order to self-represent, and on Tuesday, the fifth day of what was originally supposed to be a three-day trial, they began their closing speech.

The judge interrupted several times in the first few sentences, telling Olax that references to Genocide were inadmissible. Court security were then ordered to remove Olax to the cells, and the judge summed up the case and sent the jury away to deliberate without the defendant present.

Unusually, Olax was not even returned to the court to hear the verdict.

We can never know what was discussed by jury members, or what their reasons were for their decision, but it seems probable that the unanimous acquittal after just a couple of hours was a strong message either to the judge or to the government, against complicity in Genocide and/or repression of protest.

Olax’s full closing speech can be read at https://olax.nl