Three women convicted of terror offence for 'celebrating' Hamas attack on Israel by displaying images of paragliders at pro-Palestinian march are spared jail as judge says he 'decided not to punish' them after 'emotions ran very high'

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Three women were today found guilty of a terror offence for displaying images of paragliders at a pro-Palestine march a week after Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people in Israel. 

Heba Alhayek, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, attached stock images of paragliders to their backs with tape, while Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, stuck one to the handle of a placard.

The trio displayed the images on October 14, 2023, just seven days after militants from Hamas used paragliders to enter Israel from Gaza on October 7 before randomly murdering civilians. 

They were charged under the Terrorism Act with carrying or displaying an article to arouse reasonable suspicion that they are supporters of banned organisation Hamas, which they denied but were found guilty of this afternoon after a two-day trial. 

Reacting to the verdicts, the Crown Prosecution Service said displaying the images amounted to the 'glorification of the actions' of Hamas.

But the judge said he had 'decided not to punish' the women and gave them a 12-month conditional discharge instead on the basis that he did not believe they were true Hamas supporters and 'emotions' had 'run very high' at the time of their offence.

Alhayek is a Palestinian author who grew up in Gaza and was granted asylum in the UK because her family were critical of Hamas, Westminster Magistrates Court heard during the trial. 

Heba Alhayek, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, had images of paragliders taped to their backs 

Alhayek is a Palestinian author who was given asylum in Britain because her family were critical of Hamas

Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, had an image of a terrorist paraglider attached to the handle of a placard 

Prosecutors successfully argued it was 'no coincidence' the defendants were displaying the images so soon after the attack. Pictured is Ankund

Giving his verdict, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said: 'Seven days before the protest, Hamas went into Israel with what was described by the media as paragliders. A reasonable person would have seen and read that.

'I do not find a reasonable person would interpret the image merely as a symbol of freedom. I want to be clear, there's no evidence that any of these defendants are supporters of Hamas, or were seeking to show support for them.'

Handing the trio a 12-month conditional discharge, Mr Ikram said he had 'decided not to punish' the defendants.

'Each of you stands convicted of a terrorist offence,' he continued. 'There is nothing to suggest the police of their own volition were going to take any action.

'You've not hidden the fact you were carrying these images. You crossed the line, but it would have been fair to say that emotions ran very high on this issue.

'Your lesson has been well learnt. I do not find you were seeking to show any support for Hamas.'

Alhayek and Ankunda were each ordered to pay £400 in costs. Taiwo won't have to pay any costs as she is not entitled to benefits due to her immigration status.

An online profile describes Alhayek as a  'London-based, Gaza-raised Palestinian author, creative and facilitator'.

The biography says she studied for an MA in Social Anthropology at SOAS University of London and has a creative writing qualification. 

The biography says her thinking is 'rooted in anti-nation-state, decolonial, queer, Afrikan feminist thought' and 'navigates topics such as disposability, Global South solidarity movements, land justice, Palestinian drill music, and more.'    

In court, she and the other two defendants had argued they were carrying the image of a standard 'parachute emoji', and that such flying-related images were common in Palestinian art as symbols of 'liberation and peace' long before the bloody Hamas attacks.

Under cross-examination, the Met's acting Detective Sergeant Michael Beskine admitted his team had not done any research into possible alternative meanings, instead accepting the interpretation of a 'rightwing' social media account called 'Harry's Place', which first posted photos of the trio.

The original 'Harry's Place' post on X  had claimed sarcastically: 'Hamas sent terrorists on paragliders to a rave in Israel where they massacred the civilians so it's important to tape images of paragliders to your clothes at a pro Palestine demonstration.'

Alhayek is visible on the left of this image - one of several CCTV grabs circulated by the Met  

She is pictured yesterday outside Westminster Magistrates Court  

This is the image of a paraglider or parachutist used by the women 

Footage showed squads of Palestinians on suicide missions swooping over the border on the aircraft

Police then gave the operation the unofficial moniker 'paraglider girls' as they hunted for the trio, the court heard, with the officer giving evidence that the pro-Hamas interpretation was so 'obvious' it did not require further work. 

Giving evidence in defence of the trio, veteran Guardian journalist and human rights campaigner Victoria Brittain said images of balloons, birds, kites and parachutes were popular images in the context of a Palestinian desire to 'fly away' from entrapment in Gaza.

She also said she had seen children in Gaza playing with parachute-like domes of fabric, and pointed to a world record set in 2011 in the territory in which 3,520 children fluttered 176 parachutes.

The correspondent also pointed to possible thematic links with the Banksy artwork Flying Balloon Girl, which was painted on a West Bank wall and shows a girl being lifted away by a bunch of balloons, as well as a popular Palestinian cartoon character called Handala.

Asked by Mark Summers KC, for Alhayek and Ankunda, about what 'an informed, politically aware observer' on the march would have made of the image, she responded: 'It would have been [interpreted as] another typical Palestinian symbol of flight and escaping prison.'

The lawyer said the idea that the image was a paraglider started with 'an internet group with an agenda'.

He also argued that flying-related images were a common symbol of peace in the region.   

Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, a former EU envoy to the Palestinians also gave evidence about a controversial flight he undertook off the coast of Gaza City in July of last year.

He told the court that the flight was intended to urge freedom and equal rights for Palestinians, although at the time the 'stunt' was condemned as a 'propaganda tool' by Israel.

After the Metropolitan Police launched a social media appeal to find them over the outcry, Alhayek and Ankunda handed themselves in to Croydon Police Station, the court heard earlier. 

Brutal shootouts were seen taking place as Hamas terrorists descended on Israel via land, sea and air

Hamas is banned as a terror organisation in the UK and the trio's actions were widely condemned online amid concern over the tenor of pro-Palestine protests occurring in the UK.

In a police interview, the pair initially claimed someone at the demonstration 'who was not known to them' had stuck the images to their backs, before admitting they had attached them themselves.

When she was arrested later, Taiwo claimed to have been handed the placard and not paid proper attention to the 'blurry image'.

'She had not paid attention to what was fixed to the placard as it was a blurry image. She said she believed it to be a symbol of liberation and peace', prosecutor Brett Weaver said. 

Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'All three women knowingly displayed the images of paragliders in central London and therefore showed their support for Hamas - a proscribed terrorist organisation.

'The fact that these images were being displayed in the context of a protest opposing the Israeli response to the Hamas attacks demonstrates a glorification of the actions taken by the group.

'Displaying these images could be viewed as celebrating the use of paragliders as a tactic to breach the Gaza/Israel border, and creates a risk of encouraging others to support Hamas.

'When people break the law - whether by hateful speech, supporting proscribed organisations or by threatening public order - we prosecute swiftly and independently.

'We have already prosecuted a string of offences linked to events in the Middle East and we are working closely with the police and community leaders to make sure our approach commands public confidence.'

CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met Egyptian officials in Cairo, according to Al-Qahera News - which has links to Egyptian intelligence.

A proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month has gone back and forth, but is yet to come to fruition after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed his forces would achieve 'total victory' in Gaza.

Hamas officials meanwhile told reporters that they 'are awaiting the outcome of the Cairo meetings, and Hamas is open to discussing any initiative that achieves an end to aggression and war'.

The quest for a ceasefire comes after the United States and the United Nations warned Israel against carrying out a ground offensive into Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians are trapped. 

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer broke cover today to defend his handling of a new Labour party anti-Semitism row sparked by comments made by the party's candidate in the Rochdale by-election.  

Sir Keir this afternoon faced the cameras for the first time since Azhar Ali was revealed to have claimed Israel 'deliberately allowed' Hamas's October 7 massacre.

Party factions were at war today over the belated decision to cut ties with Mr Ali, with left-wingers claiming he was given preferential treatment.

Buildings lie in ruin in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. This picture was taken from Israel today 

Sir Keir's top team finally withdrew backing from Ali last night, more than 24 hours after it was revealed he claimed Israel 'deliberately allowed' Hamas's October 7 massacre.

But they only acted after being informed of further allegations by the Daily Mail, having previously tried to weather the storm by insisting his apology on Sunday night was enough.

Sir Keir's team had rallied behind the councillor – claiming he had simply fallen for an 'online conspiracy theory' and that it was 'out of character' for him to be anti-Semitic.

Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Wellingborough today, the Labour leader denied that factionalism played a role, saying it makes 'no difference to me where somebody stands in the Labour Party'.

'Further information came to light yesterday calling for decisive action, so I took decisive action,' he said.

'It is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a by-election.

'It's a tough decision, a necessary decision, but when I say the Labour Party has changed under my leadership I mean it.'

Meanwhile bookie William Hill has now made George Galloway the favourite to win what was a safe Labour seat in the vote on February 29.