Full Breakdown
British Jury Acquits Sarah Cotte of Hamas Support Charges
By Drooid · · How we work
Trial Outcome and Charges
A London jury at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey) returned a not-guilty verdict for 22-year-old activist Sarah Cotte after a week-long retrial. The jury rejected two Terrorism Act charges alleging that Cotte expressed support for the proscribed Palestinian group Hamas during a speech outside the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The speech was scheduled for October 9, 2023, and Cotte was arrested on January 31, 2024. Prosecutors had argued that her “unconditional solidarity” with the Palestinian resistance was a thinly veiled reference to Hamas, a claim the jury dismissed.
Legal Context of Hamas Proscription
Hamas was formally proscribed in its entirety by the UK government in late 2021, while its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, has been banned since 2001. Under UK terrorism legislation, anyone convicted of expressing support for a proscribed organization can face up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Reactions from Advocacy Groups and Cotte
Cotte told reporters that the verdict demonstrated public resistance to criminalising speech about the Palestinian right to resist.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I never condemned the right to armed struggle in Palestine,” — Sarah Cotte
- “I don’t think it’s my role to impose conditions on the Palestinian people and their struggle,” — Sarah Cotte
- “Sarah Cotte has been found not guilty, and we are delighted for her, her family, and everyone who stood alongside her through more than two and a half years of investigation and court proceedings,” — Anas Mustapha, head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International