Alleged Hamas supporter said 7 October attacks were ‘inspiring’, court told
Hanin Barghouthi, 24, is alleged to have reacted with “joy” and “support” to the news that the banned organisation had attacked Israel
A woman accused of expressing support for Hamas a day after its terrorists entered Israel told a crowd that the attacks on 7 October were “a victory” and “inspiring to see”, a court has heard.
Hanin Barghouthi, 24, is alleged to have reacted with “joy” and “support” to the news that the banned organisation had attacked Israel.
Barghouthi is accused of expressing an “opinion or belief” in support of Hamas during a speech she made at a rally in Brighton, East Sussex, on October 8 2023.
This came a day after members of Hamas attacked Israel, prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told jurors at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.
“We may all remember something of our reactions as the news unfolded over the next 24 hours,” Mr Bisgrove said.
“The reaction of Ms Barghouthi, the defendant in this case, was one of joy, of support for the actions carried out by Hamas.”
Mr Bisgrove said that Barghouthi had been “prepared to make a speech” when she attended the rally in the city centre.
Jurors heard that in her speech, Barghouthi told the crowd that “yesterday was a victory” and was “beautiful and inspiring to see”.
The court heard that Barghouthi said: “We need to celebrate these acts of resistance because this is a success.”
Mr Bisgrove said the defendant “encouraged the audience to share her support and the audience applauded and cheered”.
He said that Hamas is a “proscribed organisation”, adding: “It is a criminal offence to express support for a proscribed organisation.”
During the trial’s opening, jurors were shown a video of the rally, in which a crowd gathered around various people making speeches.
In her speech, Barghouthi can be heard telling the crowd that she is Palestinian, adding: “For me, yesterday was a victory.”
She further claims: “Revolutionary violence initiated by Palestinians is not terrorism. It is self defence.”
Concluding her speech, she can be heard saying: “I’m going to leave you with this.
“This is not a Muslim issue, this is not an Arab issue, it’s not a Palestinian issue, this is a human rights issue.”
The court heard that Barghouthi was arrested on 12 October 2023 and answered “no comment” to the police when asked about her “actions and motivations”.
Prosecutor Mr Bisgrove said the crown anticipates that Barghouthi’s defence will be that she “did not realise” that it was Hamas who carried out the attack on Israel on 7 October.
Barghouthi, from Brighton, previously pleaded not guilty to a single count of expressing support of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas.
The trial continues.
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