Four fined over illegal pro-Palestine procession

Four people from Londonderry have been convicted of taking part in an illegal pro-Palestine procession in the city.

Goretti Horgan, 70, of Westland Avenue; Davina Pulis, 36, of Knoxhill Park; Robert Paul Maxwell, 60, of Rathlin Drive and Jude Coffey, 27, of Gartan Square were convicted with taking part in the procession on 14 February 2024.

At Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, District Judge Conor Heaney said the procession had been "peaceful and brief."

Ruling that the four defendants had taken part in an illegal procession, the judge said they had expressed "legitimate political views".

Horgan, Pulis and Maxwell were each fined £75, while Coffey was fined £150 due to previous convictions for similar offences.

In Northern Ireland, organisers must give 28 days' notice to the Parades Commission, the body that adjudicates on contentious parades, to hold a parade or procession.

Charges against two other defendants in the case had been dealt with previously.

Former SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood had a charge of attending an illegal pro-Palestine rally dropped after he accepted a formal reprimand.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin had also been charged but was found to have no case to answer.