UK court hears Jewish anti-Zionist activist invited support for Hamas after Oct. 7

During the hearing, lawyers detailed the posts, including one in which Greenstein allegedly wrote, "Please share. Full support for the Gaza ghetto uprising."

A UK court was told on Tuesday that Tony Greenstein, a prominent Jewish anti-Zionist activist and founding member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), issued a “rallying cry” inviting support for Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Local UK media reports outlined that the charges stem from three posts published on Greenstein's X/Twitter account on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, which prosecutors argued breached the Terrorism Act 2000 by intentionally encouraging support for a proscribed terrorist organization.

Prosecutors point to Greenstein's October 7 posts

Legal representatives detailed the contents of the posts during the court hearings, pointing to specific messaging where Greenstein allegedly wrote, "Please share. Full support for the Gaza ghetto uprising."

Prosecutors argued that the posts also contained links to a blog which included the line, "The time to fight is now. Whatever criticisms one can make of Hamas, we should congratulate them on this well-planned and audacious attack on the Zionist enemy."

During the hearing, prosecutor Kate Temple-Mabe argued that although Greenstein did not explicitly name Hamas in his X posts, his reference to the "'Gaza ghetto uprising' – in that specific context, on that specific date – can only have meant support for Hamas."

Prosecutors maintained that his language went beyond political dissent, representing a "clear invitation of moral or intellectual support" for a proscribed organization.

Defense argues posts were political expression

Greenstein's defense counsel contested the allegations, asserting that the statements formed part of broader anti-Zionist political expression, legitimate commentary, and analysis regarding the Middle East conflict rather than an invitation to unlawful terrorist support.

During his police interview, it was noted that Greenstein indicated he did not support everything Hamas stands for, and his lawyers argue that the words used were not intended as an invitation to support.

Greenstein, a 72-year-old activist and writer, has a history of political controversy, including his expulsion from the Labor Party in 2018 over allegations of antisemitism and a subsequent suspended prison sentence in September 2023 for an action targeting an Israeli defense contractor.

Campaign Against Antisemitism responds to trial

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said in a statement to the Jerusalem Post, “Tony Greenstein has long courted controversy, and indeed one of his better-known interventions came when he sued us for labeling him a ‘notorious antisemite.’ His libel claim against us humiliatingly backfired after the High Court ruled it was permissible for us to describe him as such. Any alleged support for a terrorist organization is a serious charge, and we are following the case closely.”

The trial continues as the court examines the specific wording of the contested posts and the broader context in which they were disseminated.