A woman has been given a community order after she wore a T-shirt at a pro-Palestine protest which gave way to reasonable suspicion that she supported Hamas.
Shenissa Govanni wore a black and white T-shirt displaying an image of one of the proscribed organisation’s spokespeople, Abu Obaida, at the central London march on February 17.
The 29-year-old, of Bristol, pleaded guilty last month to wearing the item “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” she was supporting Hamas.
She was sentenced to an 18-month community order – comprising 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work – at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
District Judge Daniel Sternberg told Govanni: “It is clear you knew well what image was being displayed on your T-shirt and you chose to wear it that day.”
He said messages she sent days before the protest “make clear that you knew the T-shirt was or could be interpreted as a pro-Hamas garment”.
Govanni was originally arrested in connection with a cardboard sign she carried at the February rally which read “long live the Intifada” on one side and “85% of Hamas soldiers are orphans” on the other, the court heard.
At Hammersmith police station, she made a prepared statement in which she insisted the sign was “not supportive of Hamas, nor am I a supporter of Hamas”.
“I consider it sick to support what Hamas did to innocent people,” she said in the statement. “I condemn anyone who takes satisfaction at loss of civilian life.”
Govanni added that the sign was “intended as a protest against the cycle of violence that has existed in the Middle East for a long time” and “a critique of the way in which war simply perpetuates itself in the region”.
“I would like to see peace for all and no more needless death,” she said in the prepared statement.
In the investigation that followed, it was identified that Govanni had worn a T-shirt with Abu Obaida’s image on it.
As a result, police examined her mobile phone, the court was told.
The court heard that on October 28 last year Govanni sent a message in which she said: “I don’t condemn Hamas and I never will.”
On December 14, she made reference in a message to her “pro-Hamas content”.
Four days before the protest, on February 13, she asked one of her contacts whether they thought she would get in trouble for wearing an Abu Obaida T-shirt.
The court heard she sent an image of the piece of clothing and asked: “Will I be deported for this?”
When the person she was messaging asked what was wrong with it, Govanni replied: “It’s pro-Hamas lmao (laughing my ass off) have you met white people?”
Nour Haidar, defending, argued that the text messages should be contextualised, saying: “Ms Govanni was expressing a view to a friend and family member in a private conversation.
“She has said that she said this jokingly and that is indicated by her use of the words ‘lmao’.”
Ms Haidar said there was no evidence of what Govanni had posted on social media.
The barrister continued: “The reason she wore the T-shirt was with the intention of protesting against the cycle of violence in the Middle East.”
She added that other messages showed Govanni was “extremely distressed” by the “level of harm and suffering” in the region, and said the defendant is someone who was “struggling to make sense of a war”.
The court heard that on December 15 last year she wrote in one message: “I can’t even hold my nephew without crying because of how many babies just like him are dead now.
“I have been in a weird daze since October tbh (to be honest).”
In another message she said: “We’re literally seeing an entire country being wiped out and we’re meant to carry on like normal.”
The pre-sentence report did not assess Govanni’s actions as having been aimed at gaining widespread support for Hamas, the court heard.
“She has accepted her error of judgment and is deeply remorseful,” Ms Haidar said.
The judge accepted that there was no evidence before the court of harm being caused to anyone as a result of Govanni wearing the T-shirt in question.
In sentencing her, he took into account positive references of Govanni’s character, how her mental health suffered after the arrest and the online abuse she received following news of her arrest – which Ms Haidar said “had a serious and profound impact on her”.
Govanni was ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £114.
