Teacher Acquitted in 'Coconut' Placard Case Involving Sunak and Braverman

Marieha Hussain found not guilty of racially aggravated public order offence after court rules placard was political satire.

Marieha Hussain, a teacher, was acquitted of charges related to a placard depicting Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts at a pro-Palestine protest.
District Judge Vanessa Lloyd ruled that the placard fell under the genre of political satire and did not meet the criminal standard for being abusive.
The defence argued that prosecuting Hussain was an attack on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.
Prosecutors claimed the term 'coconut' is a well-known racial slur, but the defence countered that there was no qualifying context to racialize it in this case.
Hussain described the trial as a politically motivated ordeal, alleging it was an attempt to suppress pro-Palestine political dissent.