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Immigrant Wore Headband in support of Hamas, UK judge finds

Khaled Hajsaad, 24, was found guilty of wearing a headband in support of Hamas at a pro-Palestine rally in central London. Hajsaad wore the headband, featuring the Shahada, the basic statement of the Islamic faith, at a rally in Trafalgar Square on November 25, 2023. He told police the headband was from Saudi Arabia and the Shahada was a statement of his faith. However, the City of London Magistrates' Court found Hajsaad guilty of wearing the headband "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion" of supporting Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group in the UK. District Judge Nina Tempia noted that the harm was serious due to the timing, shortly after the events of October 7. Hajsaad, an asylum seeker in the UK, pleaded not guilty and is set to be sentenced on June 21 at Westminster Magistrates' Court.