Three Women Found Guilty Of Terror Offences Over Paraglider Images At Pro-Palestine Rally

The three women attended a pro-Palestine rally just a week after Hamas’ attack on Israel in October. (Source: X)

Three women were convicted Tuesday of terror offences after flaunting paraglider images during a pro-Palestine rally in October.

Heba Alhayek, 29, Pauline Ankunda, 26, and Noimutu Olayinka Taiwo, 27, faced charges for their actions at a demonstration in central London on October 14, a week after the attack by Hamas militants into Israel using paragliders.

Alhayek and Ankunda wore the contentious images on their backs, and Taiwo affixed one to a placard. The trial at Westminster magistrates court culminated in a guilty verdict handed down by Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram. The defendants claimed that the images depicted parachutes—a symbol of peace, rather than paragliders.

Nick Price, from the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the trio’s deliberate exhibition of the paraglider images was an act of support for Hamas, a prescribed terror organisation in the UK. He argued that the act was seen as not only glorifying Hamas’ attack but also as a potential encouragement for others to support such activities.

The trio surrendered themselves following a social media plea by the Metropolitan Police after images from the demonstration were circulated online.