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Jury discharged in trial of alleged Downing Street pro-Hamas protester
Urslaan Khan denied expressing support for the proscribed terror group, with a two-day retrial now set for April 2027
A jury has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a protester accused of making a pro-Hamas speech outside Downing Street days after a deadly attack on Israel.
Urslaan Khan, 44, was on trial for allegedly expressing support for the proscribed group in Whitehall, central London, on 17 October 2023.
Jurors viewed a video of Khan holding up a placard making reference to Hamas at the gates of the Prime Minister’s London residence on that day and making a speech.
In the video, he said: “I support the physical force resistance in Palestine.
“Cruella Deville – sorry – Suella Fernandez Braverman, does not scare me or my brothers. I support armed resistance in Palestine.”
On being quizzed about his placard by an officer, Khan allegedly said: “I know there is 0 percent chance of me going to jail for it and whether it reaches the CPS threshold, 1 percent maybe?”
Khan, of Poplar, east London, denied the charge against him and declined to give evidence in his Old Bailey trial.
On Tuesday, Judge Richard Marks KC discharged the jury after it failed to reach a verdict after deliberating for seven hours and 37 minutes.
A two-day retrial was set for 26 April 2027.
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