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Sarah Cotte cleared by UK court of supporting Hamas in university speech
A jury at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, has found 22-year-old Sarah Cotte not guilty of expressing support for Hamas. The charges stemmed from a speech Cotte delivered outside the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2023, shortly after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Prosecutors argued that Cotte’s expression of 'unconditional solidarity' with the Palestinian resistance constituted a 'thinly veiled reference' to Hamas, which is a proscribed terrorist organization in the United Kingdom. During the trial, Cotte maintained that her comments were intended to support the Palestinian right to resist rather than to endorse Hamas.
Following the verdict, Cotte stated that the decision was a 'testament to how people are feeling about British support for Zionism' and emphasized that she used her platform to discuss the Palestinian struggle and rights of conscience.
Entities
Hamas · Old Bailey · Sarah Cotte · School of Oriental and African Studies · United Kingdom
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] A jury at the Old Bailey found Sarah Cotte not guilty of expressing support for Hamas. bahamasspectator.com · haitigazette.com · trinidadtribune.com · www.aljazeera.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Hamas is officially proscribed as a terrorist organization in the United Kingdom. bahamasspectator.com · haitigazette.com · trinidadtribune.com · www.aljazeera.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Sarah Cotte testified that she was supporting the right to resist rather than supporting Hamas. bahamasspectator.com · haitigazette.com · trinidadtribune.com · www.aljazeera.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Prosecutors alleged Cotte’s expression of 'unconditional solidarity' with Palestinian resistance was a reference to Hamas. bahamasspectator.com · haitigazette.com · trinidadtribune.com · www.aljazeera.com