Three people have been found guilty of a terror offence after they displayed images of paragliders at an anti-Israel march in central London on October 14 last year.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court found the three women guilty of supporting Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, at the protest, just a week after Hamas attacked Israel, killing upwards of 1200 people.
Pauline Ankunda, 26, Heba Alhayek, 29, were seen on footage at the demonstration with images of paragliders attached to their backs. A third woman, Noimotu Taiwo, 27, was also seen with the pair carrying a sign with an image of a paraglider affixed to it.
Paragliders were used by Hamas terrorists to breach the border and break into southern Israel on October 7, where they massacred over 1,200 people and took over 230 hostage, mostly civilians.
The first images of the trio – dubbed 'the Paraglider Girls' by police – were captured around Piccadilly Circus before the march continued into Whitehall where they were seen on further footage. Videos and photos of the trio wearing and carrying images of paragliders were uploaded to X/Twitter).
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After the Metropolitan Police made a public appeal for information to identify the trio, Ankunda and Alhayek gave themselves in at Croydon police station on October 30, while Taiwo was arrested on November 8.
Upon charge, Ankunda and Alhayek accepted they had placed the images on their backs while Taiwo said she had taken possession of the sign and had seen an image attached to it.
By displaying these images, a week after paragliders were used by Hamas to carry out their deadly attack, the prosecution said there was a reasonable suspicion that the women were celebrating the Hamas attack, and therefore supporting that proscribed organisation.
During the trial, lawyers for the trio claimed the images of paragliders were actually a “cartoon parachute” used as a “symbol of peace”.
Mark Summers KC, representing Alhayek and Ankunda, said: “A parachute isn’t a paraglider.”
The suggestion that the image was a paraglider started with “an internet group with an agenda”, who circulated it on social media, he said.
Summers continued: “[A parachute] is a well known nationalist symbol of peace.
“Police have taken the narrative that’s been fed to them and brought it blindly to your door.”
However, the prosecution was able to prove that the women were acting deliberately and were fully aware that they were wearing or displaying the images at the protest.
Today all three were found guilty of carrying or displaying an article in a public place in such a way as to arouse reasonable suspicion that they were supporting Hamas.
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 offenses 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.”
