THREE women have been been found guilty of a terror offence after displaying images of killer Hamas paragliders at a pro-Palestine march.
Heba Alhayek, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, wore the images on their backs, while Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, stuck one on a placard.
The trio then showed off the pictures at a march in London on October 14 – just one week after Hamas terrorists used paragliders to enter Gaza and slaughter more than 1,000 Israelis.
They have now been convicted under the Terrorism Act after prosecutors argued it was “no coincidence” the women were displaying the images so soon after the brutal attack.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard they carried or displayed an article to arouse reasonable suspicion that they are supporters of banned organisation Hamas.
But Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said he had “decided not to punish” the women, who were instead handed a 12-month conditional discharge.
The judge said while they had “crossed the line”, he did not believe they were “seeking to show any support for Hamas” and that “emotions were running high”.
He added: “Seven days earlier, Hamas went into Israel with what was described by the media as paragliders.
“A reasonable person would have seen and read that.
“I do not find a reasonable person would interpret the image merely as a symbol of freedom.
“I want to be clear, there’s no evidence that any of these defendants are supporters of Hamas, or were seeking to show support for them.”
Lawyers for the trio claimed they were actually displaying images of a parachute emoji rather than paragliders, and that people were “mistaken”.
But the Crown Prosecution Service said displaying the images amounted to the “glorification of the actions” of Hamas.
Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “All three women knowingly displayed the images of paragliders in central London and therefore showed their support for Hamas – a proscribed terrorist organisation.
“The fact that these images were being displayed in the context of a protest opposing the Israeli response to the Hamas attacks demonstrates a glorification of the actions taken by the group.
“Displaying these images could be viewed as celebrating the use of paragliders as a tactic to breach the Gaza/Israel border, and creates a risk of encouraging others to support Hamas.
“When people break the law – whether 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 events in the Middle East and we are working closely with the police and community leaders to make sure our approach commands public confidence.”
