Woman 'celebrating freedom, not Hamas', court told

A student activist who gave a speech at a pro-Palestine rally a day after the 7 October attacks was "celebrating freedom" and not a terrorist, her lawyers have argued at trial.

Hanin Barghouthi faces accusations of expressing support for Hamas after telling a crowd "yesterday was victory" at a rally in Brighton on 8 October, 2023. The 24-year-old, from East Sussex, has previously denied the charge.

Defending Barghouthi, Mike Mansfield KC told a jury Barghouthi "doesn't sound like a terrorist", adding that she was expressing an opinion and not encouraging others to support Hamas, a proscribed terror organisation.

Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove KC argued at Kingston Crown Court that Barghouthi, at the time a student at the University of Sussex, "knew that she was talking about Hamas" during the rally.

Mansfield compared her joy at what she had seen the day before to the Berlin Wall coming down or Nelson Mandela's release from Robben Island.

Mansfield said: "Celebrating freedom has been incorporated into a criminal offence and we say be careful about that.

"What they are saying is she is an unadulterated terrorist who went there to rally the crowd in support for Hamas.

"If you convict, you are convicting her of being a terrorist."

The trial previously heard how Barghouthi had told a crowd in Brighton that "we will always fight" and "need to celebrate these acts of resistance".

She said at trial that she "had not known about the hostages and people being kidnapped" when she made the speech.

Barghouthi was arrested on 12 October, 2023, and answered "no comment" to police when asked about her actions and motivations, the court heard.

Bisgrove, prosecuting, said jurors "might think she would have been well aware of" the 7 October attacks in Israel.

Barghouthi is charged with making a speech which would encourage support for a proscribed organisation, under the Terrorism Act.

The trial continues.

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