The world of barristers had something of a minor civil war at the weekend. The cause? The lesser known ‘Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales’ (BHRC), decided to weigh in on the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, the BHRC called on ‘the UK Government to urge Israel, its friend and ally, to cease all violations of its obligations and responsibilities as an occupying power immediately, including its assault on Gaza’. It said:
‘We urge the Government to issue a statement of unambiguous support for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory by the ICC’
Who needs or wants a bunch of wig-wearers popping in?
In response, it’s worth asking two questions: why are some of my barrister colleagues so desperate to be politicians? And why the need to appear to speak for every barrister, rather than just give their private view?
When the statement was issued, many lawyers were concerned this was a statement from the Bar Council and thus spoke for all barristers.
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