Student accused of supporting Hamas appears in court
Despite SOAS university being repeatedly informed of Sarah Cotte's actions, it appears to have repeatedly declined to act for 17 months until she was charged
A student accused of expressing support for Hamas and the 7 October attacks two days after the massacre has appeared at the Old Bailey, denying two charges of expressing “an opinion or belief in support of a proscribed organisation”.
Sarah Cotte, a French national, was the secretary of the ‘Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism’ society at the School of Oriental and African Studies in October 2023, when Hamas infiltrated Israel, murdering 1,200 and taking 250 people captive.
In a speech given on 9 October 2023 at SOAS, she reportedly said: “We express our unconditional solidarity with the Palestinian armed Resistance who have broken free from their open air prison in Gaza and are rising across an occupied country, against the Zionist state which has been bleeding Palestine dry for nearly eighty years.
“Israel has existed for 27,540 days but in less than one day it has been nearly brought to its knees by righteous armed resistance.”
A week later, Cotte is also alleged to have expressed support for Hamas in a Whatsapp group chat.
Sarah Cotte brilliantly demonstrates why @SOAS is called the School of Anti Semitism https://t.co/A1ryJI7FJY
— #Jews Fight Back (@Keithdavidharri) October 19, 2023
The legal organisation UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) reported Cotte’s speech to both the police and the university. While the police would arrest Cotte in January 2024, subsequently releasing her on bail, UKLFI said that the university had repeatedly declined to take action.
In an initial response to UKLFI, SOAS Principal Adam Habib said that “All in our community will be allowed their freedom of expression and action which will only be circumscribed by our common commitment not to condone hate speech, antisemitism, Islamaphobia,[sic] or any other form of cultural or disciplinary chauvinism.
“We will also be circumscribed by the law, our health and safety policies and other regulations, and our common commitment not to subject students and staff in our institution to physical or psychological harm. Where these principles are in any way breached, we will act decisively and hold individuals accountable.”
When Cotte was arrested by the police in January 2024 and then bailed, UKLFI wrote again to SOAS, seeing if action would now be taken. Habib responded that “our commitment to freedom of expression and action is principled, and it defines how we engage with ideas across the political spectrum. Where views expressed are illegal, we will act accordingly, as per the law. Second, as you well know, Sarah Cotte has been arrested but has not been found guilty, which only a court of law can do. As of now, a court of law has not yet pronounced on the matter.”
Despite this statement in March last year, the Jewish News understands that following Cotte officially being charged this March, she is no longer a student at the university.
In a speech to supporters outside the courts this morning, Cotte said: “We are at an unprecedented time in terms of the oppression that is facing this movement, and we have to be clear about what it is that we have to do, what our responsibility is right now. We need to fight like hell to protect ourselves, to protect Palestine, to continue to defend our rights to free speech, to protest and to assembly.”
Cotte appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday for a hearing before the trial judge. She was granted continued conditional bail.
A further pre-trial hearing is due for October, with the trial itself set to take place next February.
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