Three London protesters found guilty of 'terror' charges for paraglider images displayed during pro-Palestine march

Three people have been found guilty of "terror" offences for displaying images of paragliders during a pro-Palestine march in London. 

Heba Alhayek, 29, Pauline Ankunda, 26, and Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, were accused of displaying the image a week after Hamas launched its surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October. Some of the Palestinian fighters used paragliders to enter Israel. 

Hamas was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government in 2021.

Lawyers representing two of the defendants said that the images were displayed were cartoon parachutes, which they said was "a well known nationalist symbol of peace". 

Giving his verdict, judge Tan Ikram said: “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.”