Dania Al-Obeid was convicted of breaching coronavirus restrictions when she attended the vigil in 2021 under a single judicial procedure (SJP), which allows a judge to rule on a case without the need for a court hearing. He was due to face a full trial later this year before the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case on the grounds that it was not in the public interest. On Tuesday, lawyers representing Al-Obeid formally notified the Metropolitan police of their intention to pursue claims of violations of her rights under the Human Rights Act 1998. Commenting on the decision to bring civil proceedings, Al-Obeid said she was “devastated” to discover she had a criminal record because the Met was able to convict her under the SJP. He said: “Being sentenced behind closed doors for standing up for my human rights and our rights just to be safe from violence felt extremely unfair. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “At that moment, I didn’t feel like I could fight it, I felt like I was shrinking and taking up less space. I began to blame myself for ever speaking up. It brought back some of the terrible experiences in my past and took me to a dark place where I didn’t think my voice mattered or that I even had the right to speak.” She added: “However, I am extremely lucky to have a legal team of amazing women who told me my rights and said what was happening was illegal. That’s why I finally got the strength to push back. “So now I am taking steps to pursue a civil claim along with other women seeking to hold the police accountable for their actions, both while on duty and since.” Rachel Harger, barrister at Bindmans, who is representing Al-Obeid, said: “The Metropolitan Police’s redoubled efforts to legitimize its police operation and conduct in and around Clapham Common is not surprising, but the fact that they have continued to do so under enormous public scrutiny and criticism further shows that this is a police force that believes it should be able to act with impunity. “It is no small feat to undertake the litigation of a comparatively well-resourced publicly funded institution which is also strongly politically supported by the government of the day. I sincerely hope that the public will unite and support Patsy Stevenson, Dania Al-Obeid and all those who were subjected to such appalling police behavior on March 13, 2021, as they now seek to hold the police accountable in the civil courts.” The proceedings follow a High Court judge’s finding that the Met breached the human rights of organizers of the planned vigil, specifically the right to freedom of speech and assembly.
