UK court clears woman of voicing support for Hamas in university speech

A jury at London’s Central Criminal Court cleared Sarah Cotte on Friday of a charge that she had expressed support for Hamas in a speech given outside SOAS in October 2023. Prosecutors had said Cotte’s declaration of “unconditional solidarity” with Palestinian resistance shortly after the October 7 attacks was effectively a reference to the proscribed organisation. Cotte denied the allegation throughout the trial, saying she did not support Hamas and that her remarks defended Palestinians’ right to resist.

The case formed part of a wider enforcement environment shaped by the UK’s proscription of Hamas. The government banned Hamas in its entirety in late 2021 (having previously proscribed its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in 2001), and support for proscribed organisations can carry sentences of up to 14 years. Prosecutors argued the timing and content of Cotte’s speech indicated endorsement of Hamas; Cotte told jurors she was making a political point about British support for Zionism and the Palestinian struggle rather than praising the group.

Cotte was arrested on January 31, 2024, following the October 2023 speech. A separate earlier trial had already resulted in her acquittal on a charge that she expressed support for Hamas in a WhatsApp group chat. After the not guilty verdict at the Old Bailey, Cotte told Al Jazeera she saw the outcome as reflecting public sentiment about British policy on Israel and Palestine and reiterated her position that she supported the Palestinians’ right to be agents in their struggle.

Advocacy groups welcomed the decision. Anas Mustapha, head of public advocacy at CAGE International, said the ruling indicated ordinary people will not accept criminalising speech in support of Palestinian resistance and expressed relief for Cotte and her supporters after more than two-and-a-half years of investigation and proceedings.