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Cartoon protestor called for British soldiers deaths
A Danish Embassy ‘cartoon protestor’ called for British soldiers to be brought back from Afghanistan and Iraq in body bags, the Old bailey heard today.
Mizanur Rahman, 23, demanded that the streets of Baghdad and Fullujah should run with blood, urged protestors to carry out 9/11 style-terrorist attacks in Europe and called for France to be “nuked,” a court heard.
Briton Rahman also encouraged the crowd to “annihilate” and “behead” non-Muslim as a large group of protestors gathered outside the Danish Embassy in Central London on February 3 this year.
The protest came as part of a worldwide reaction to the publication of ‘anti-muslim’ cartoons in a Danish newspaper.
Rahman was part of a group of demonstrators – including one dressed as a suicide bomber – who brandished placards that read ‘Annihilate those who insult Islam’ and ‘Behead those who insult Islam’
Rahman denies one count of soliciting or inciting the murder of those who do not believe in or insult Islam, American and British servicemen, and Danish, Spanish and French nationals. He also denied using words likely to stir up racial hatred.
The jury of eight women and four men heard that the trial was not a trial of Islam but a trial of Rahman and the words he used on two placards that he carried and a speech he delivered to the crowd through a loudhailer.
Prosecutor David Perry QC told the court that Rahman called for the “indiscriminate killing” of British and American soldiers, and Danish, Spanish and French citizens.
He told the jury that some Muslims believe there should be no pictorial depiction of the Prophet Mohammed – and the protest was in response to the publication of cartoons in Danish, Spanish, German and French newspapers.
But the right to freedom of speech and expression and to peacefully protest does not stretch to the right to encourage or incite other to murder, he said.
Mr Perry said Rahman broke English law by carrying the placards and through the speech he gave.
He said: “The first of these placards bore the words ‘annihilate those who insult Islam. The second of the placard bore the words ‘Behead those who insult Islam.’
“The prosecution say the meaning of those words are clear and unambiguous, annihilate, ordinary English words with ordinary English meaning – kill.
The second way the encouraged murder, the indiscriminate killing related to a speech he gave not far from the Danish Embassy in Sloane Street.
“In the course of the speech that was also captured on video, the defendant denounced democracy and made reference to events in Afghanistan, and Iraq.
“As you know British and American forces are involved in military operations there.
“The defendant made reference to the Mujahedin – an Arabic word meaning a person who fights in the cause of Islam.
“He said the Mujahedin will destroy them and their freedoms in Iraq, Afghanistan, in Fullujah and Baghdad. That reference was clearly a reference to British and American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Then the defendant said this, ‘We don’t want to see them in Baghdad, in Iraq anymore. We want to see them coming home in body bags.
We want to see their blood running in the streets of Baghdad and Fullujah. We want to see the Mujahedin shoot down their planes like we shoot down birds.
“We want to see their tanks burn just like we burn their flags.’”
Mr Perry QC added: “Having mentioned the body bags and blood running in the streets of Baghdad and Fullujah, shooting down planes and burning of tanks, he said ‘we want to see them and their freedoms destroyed. We want to see all of them removed from our Muslim lands.’
“Having said that he went on to say ‘Oh Allah, don’t leave any of them alive in Iraq, Oh Allah, don’t leave any of them alive in Afghanistan, don’t leave any of them standing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya or anywhere on earth. Amen, – so be it.’
“He then addressed his audience, the other demonstrators present at scene, ‘Oh Allah, don’t leave any of them alive on this Earth, Oh Allah they are the ones insulting the messenger, insulting your religion, insulting Muslims.
“They don’t deserve to live, they don’t deserve anything in this world.’ Having said that he made reference or alluded to terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.
“‘Oh Allah we want to see another 9/11 in Iraq, another 9/11 in Denmark, another 9/11 in Spain, in France, all over Europe. Oh Allah destroy all of them.’
“He then began to chant, along with the crowd. “There is only one God Allah, Mohammed is his messenger. He then concluded his speech with the words ‘Bomb bomb France, bomb bomb France, nuke nuke France, nuke nuke France.’”
Mr Perry warned the jury they were not to act as “statesmen” judging about the validity British forces in Iraq or Afghanistan or whether the publication of the cartoons were “an act of wisdom, courage or an act of folly.”
He said Britain was a nation of “tolerance and broad mindedness” with a tradition of pluralism that allowed for dissenting voices which added to dour democracy.
He said: “This case is not a trial of Islam, that is pretty obvious to you. Islam is a faith of hundreds of millions of good, peace loving people around the world, including the UK.
“This case is not about Allah or the prophet Mohammed. It’s about the defendant’s words – the words he used on placards and in the course of his speech.”
“Freedom does not stretch to the right to encourage murder, freedom does not stretch to the right to incite racial hatred. To encourage hatred and killing is a denial of our freedoms and a denial of our core democratic values.”
The case continues.
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