Three of Britain’s most senior barristers have been accused of lending the weight of their professional status to a pro-Israel lawfare campaign targeting Palestine solidarity activists, charities, student groups, teachers and cultural workers.
The allegation forms part of a formal complaint submitted to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) by the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC). The complaint names Lord David Pannick KC, Lord Anthony Grabiner KC and Stephen Hockman KC in their roles as patrons of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
The BSB regulates barristers in England and Wales. The complaint asks the regulator to examine whether the three barristers’ names and senior legal status were used in UKLFI correspondence in a way that made legal threats and allegations appear more serious to recipients.
UKLFI, founded in 2011, says its mission is to oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and what it calls the “delegitimisation of Israel”. It has described its patrons as “some of the most distinguished members of the legal profession in the United Kingdom”.
ELSC and PILC argue that repeated references to the barristers’ senior status may have added weight to UKLFI letters sent to individuals and organisations involved in lawful advocacy, education, cultural work and public expression relating to Palestine.
