Fri Sep 13 16:56:00 UTC 2024: ## Teacher Acquitted of Racial Slur Charge in Pro-Palestinian Protest Case

**London, UK** – A UK teacher has been found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence after displaying a placard at a pro-Palestinian protest depicting former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts.

Marieha Hussain, 37, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, argued that the placard was a light-hearted piece of political banter, and not a racial slur. The prosecution alleged that the term “coconut” is a well-known racial slur, implying that someone is “white on the inside” despite appearing “brown” on the outside.

The placard, displayed at the protest on November 11, 2023, showed cut-out pictures of Sunak and Braverman placed alongside coconuts under a tree.

Hussain’s defense attorney, Rajiv Menon KC, argued that the case was a disturbing attack on freedom of expression, and that his client was merely trying to mock and tease the politicians.

District Judge Vanessa Lloyd agreed with the defense, stating that the placard was political satire and that the prosecution had not proven that it was abusive or that Hussain understood it to be abusive.

In a statement read out to the court, Hussain explained that she had attended the pro-Palestinian protest with her family to show her opposition to hatred towards vulnerable and minority groups. She was shocked that the placard could be perceived as a message of hate.

Hussain’s supporters in the court gallery erupted in applause upon hearing the verdict.

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