Protester convicted for displaying paraglider is feminist writer

One of three ladies convicted of a terror offence for displaying photographs of paragliders at a pro-Palestine march is a Palestinian writer and drill rap fan who was granted asylum within the UK as a result of her household had been important of Hamas. 

Heba Alhayek, 29, and her fellow protestor Pauline Ankunda, 26, connected inventory photographs of paragliders to their backs on October 14 – simply seven days after Hamas terrorists used paragliders to enter Israel earlier than randomly slaughtering 1,200 folks. Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, caught one to the deal with of a placard.

Alhayek, who grew up in Gaza earlier than being granted asylum within the UK, is described in a web-based profile as an ‘writer, inventive and facilitator’ who studied an MA in Social Anthropology at SOAS and has a inventive writing qualification.

The biography says her pondering is ‘rooted in anti-nation-state, decolonial, queer, Afrikan feminist thought’ and ‘navigates subjects similar to disposability, Global South solidarity actions, land justice, Palestinian drill music, and extra.’   

She, Ankunda and Taiwo had been charged below the Terrorism Act with carrying or displaying an article to arouse affordable suspicion that they’re supporters of banned organisation Hamas,

After they had been discovered responsible as we speak following a two-day trial, the Crown Prosecution Service mentioned displaying the photographs amounted to the ‘glorification of the actions’ of Hamas – regardless of a veteran Guardian journalist showing to present proof of their defence. 

But the choose mentioned he had ‘determined to not punish’ the ladies and gave them a 12-month conditional discharge as an alternative on the premise that he didn’t consider they had been true Hamas supporters and ‘feelings’ had ‘run very excessive’ on the time of their offence.

Giving his verdict, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram mentioned: ‘Seven days earlier than the protest, Hamas went into Israel with what was described by the media as paragliders. An affordable individual would have seen and skim that.

‘I don’t discover a affordable individual would interpret the picture merely as a logo of freedom. I need to be clear, there is no proof that any of those defendants are supporters of Hamas, or had been in search of to point out help for them.’

Handing the trio a 12-month conditional discharge, Mr Ikram mentioned he had ‘determined to not punish’ the defendants.

‘Each of you stands convicted of a terrorist offence,’ he continued. ‘There is nothing to recommend the police of their very own volition had been going to take any motion.

‘You’ve not hidden the actual fact you had been carrying these photographs. You crossed the road, however it could have been truthful to say that feelings ran very excessive on this problem.

‘Your lesson has been effectively learnt. I don’t discover you had been in search of to point out any help for Hamas.’

Alhayek and Ankunda had been every ordered to pay £400 in prices. Taiwo will not need to pay any prices as she is just not entitled to advantages as a consequence of her immigration standing.

In court docket, she and the opposite two defendants had argued they had been carrying the picture of an ordinary ‘parachute emoji’, and that such flying-related photographs had been widespread in Palestinian artwork as symbols of ‘liberation and peace’ lengthy earlier than the bloody Hamas assaults.

Giving proof in defence of the trio, veteran Guardian journalist and human rights campaigner Victoria Brittain mentioned photographs of balloons, birds, kites and parachutes had been common photographs within the context of a Palestinian need to ‘fly away’ from entrapment in Gaza. 

She additionally mentioned she had seen youngsters in Gaza taking part in with parachute-like domes of cloth, and pointed to a world report set in 2011 within the territory by which 3,520 youngsters fluttered 176 parachutes.

The correspondent additionally pointed to attainable thematic hyperlinks with the Banksy art work Flying Balloon Girl, which was painted on a West Bank wall and reveals a woman being lifted away by a bunch of balloons, in addition to a well-liked Palestinian cartoon character referred to as Handala.

Under cross-examination, the Met’s performing Detective Sergeant Michael Beskine admitted his crew had not completed any analysis into attainable various meanings, as an alternative accepting the interpretation of a ‘rightwing’ social media account referred to as ‘Harry’s Place’, which first posted photographs of the trio.

The unique ‘Harry’s Place’ publish on X  had claimed sarcastically: ‘Hamas despatched terrorists on paragliders to a rave in Israel the place they massacred the civilians so it is necessary to tape photographs of paragliders to your garments at a professional Palestine demonstration.’

Police then gave the operation the unofficial moniker ‘paraglider women’ as they hunted for the trio, the court docket heard, with the officer giving proof that the pro-Hamas interpretation was so ‘apparent’ it didn’t require additional work. 

Asked by Mark Summers KC, for Alhayek and Ankunda, about what ‘an knowledgeable, politically conscious observer’ on the march would have made from the picture, she responded: ‘It would have been [interpreted as] one other typical Palestinian image of flight and escaping jail.’

The lawyer mentioned the concept that the picture was a paraglider began with ‘an web group with an agenda’.

He additionally argued that flying-related photographs had been a standard image of peace within the area.   

Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, a former EU envoy to the Palestinians additionally gave proof a few controversial flight he undertook off the coast of Gaza City in July of final 12 months.

He instructed the court docket that the flight was supposed to induce freedom and equal rights for Palestinians, though on the time the ‘stunt’ was condemned as a ‘propaganda instrument’ by Israel.

After the Metropolitan Police launched a social media attraction to search out them over the outcry, Alhayek and Ankunda handed themselves in to Croydon Police Station, the court docket heard earlier. 

Hamas is banned as a terror organisation within the UK and the trio’s actions had been extensively condemned on-line amid concern over the tenor of pro-Palestine protests occurring within the UK.

In a police interview, the pair initially claimed somebody on the demonstration ‘who was not identified to them’ had caught the photographs to their backs, earlier than admitting they’d connected them themselves.

When she was arrested later, Taiwo claimed to have been handed the placard and never paid correct consideration to the ‘blurry picture’.

‘She had not paid consideration to what was fastened to the placard because it was a blurry picture. She mentioned she believed it to be a logo of liberation and peace’, prosecutor Brett Weaver mentioned. 

Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, mentioned: ‘All three ladies knowingly displayed the photographs of paragliders in central London and due to this fact confirmed their help for Hamas – a proscribed terrorist organisation.

‘The indisputable fact that these photographs had been being displayed within the context of a protest opposing the Israeli response to the Hamas assaults demonstrates a glorification of the actions taken by the group.

‘Displaying these photographs might be considered as celebrating using paragliders as a tactic to breach the Gaza/Israel border, and creates a danger of encouraging others to help Hamas.

‘When folks break the legislation – whether or not by hateful speech, supporting proscribed organisations or by threatening public order – we prosecute swiftly and independently.

‘We have already prosecuted a string of offences linked to occasions within the Middle East and we’re working intently with the police and neighborhood leaders to ensure our method instructions public confidence.’

The terrorist assault on October 7 sparked an enormous response, with Hamas officers saying greater than 28,000 folks have been killed in Gaza since Israel started incessant bombing raids. 
Top officers from Israel, the US, Qatar and Egypt met as we speak to make plans for one more ceasefire as worldwide strain mounts for a truce within the territory. 

CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met Egyptian officers in Cairo, in response to Al-Qahera News – which has hyperlinks to Egyptian intelligence.

A proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late final month has gone backwards and forwards, however is but to return to fruition after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed his forces would obtain ‘whole victory’ in Gaza.

Hamas officers in the meantime instructed reporters that they ‘are awaiting the end result of the Cairo conferences, and Hamas is open to discussing any initiative that achieves an finish to aggression and battle’.

The quest for a ceasefire comes after the United States and the United Nations warned Israel towards finishing up a floor offensive into Rafah, the southernmost Gaza metropolis the place greater than one million Palestinians are trapped. 

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer broke cowl as we speak to defend his dealing with of a brand new Labour social gathering anti-Semitism row sparked by feedback made by the social gathering’s candidate within the Rochdale by-election.  

Sir Keir this afternoon confronted the cameras for the primary time since Azhar Ali was revealed to have claimed Israel ‘intentionally allowed’ Hamas’s October 7 bloodbath.

Party factions had been at battle as we speak over the belated choice to chop ties with Mr Ali, with left-wingers claiming he was given preferential remedy.

Sir Keir’s prime crew lastly withdrew backing from Ali final evening, greater than 24 hours after it was revealed he claimed Israel ‘intentionally allowed’ Hamas’s October 7 bloodbath.

But they solely acted after being knowledgeable of additional allegations by the Daily Mail, having beforehand tried to climate the storm by insisting his apology on Sunday evening was sufficient.

Sir Keir’s crew had rallied behind the councillor – claiming he had merely fallen for an ‘on-line conspiracy concept’ and that it was ‘out of character’ for him to be anti-Semitic.

Speaking to broadcasters on a go to to Wellingborough as we speak, the Labour chief denied that factionalism performed a task, saying it makes ‘no distinction to me the place someone stands within the Labour Party’.

‘Further data got here to gentle yesterday calling for decisive motion, so I took decisive motion,’ he mentioned.

‘It is a large factor to withdraw help for a Labour candidate through the course of a by-election.

‘It’s a tricky choice, a mandatory choice, however once I say the Labour Party has modified below my management I imply it.’

Meanwhile bookie William Hill has now made George Galloway the favorite to win what was a protected Labour seat within the vote on February 29.