Counter-terrorism police have arrested a younger lady on suspicion of supporting Hamas following a protest in Brighton.
The lady, 22, was arrested on Thursday below Part 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Part 12 makes it an offence to ask assist for an organisation that has been proscribed terrorist by the federal government.
Hamas IDQ, the army wing of Hamas, was proscribed by the Residence Workplace in March 2001. The proscription was prolonged to cowl Hamas in its entirety in November 2021.
The suspect was arrested after police reviewed footage from a pro-Palestine demonstration in Brighton on Sunday after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault in Israel the day past.
Superintendent Petra Lazar from Sussex Police stated: “After reviewing footage from the protest occasion held in Brighton on Sunday, 8 October the matter was investigated by Counter-Terrorism Policing South East. We are going to proceed to assist them as they conduct their investigation.
“We’re conscious that the continued battle in Israel and the border with Gaza is producing public concern and is impacting communities globally and regionally, and we prolong our assist to these affected in Sussex.
“Sussex Police has elevated visibility throughout components of Sussex to supply an elevated presence and reassurance to our native communities.
“We recognise there’s the potential for elevated tensions and are partaking and dealing with communities and companions to make sure individuals really feel secure and guarded.”
“Officers want to communicate to anybody who attended the protest, significantly those that might have footage of the protest and speech.
“Anybody with useful data has been requested to name 101, quoting reference 781 of 07/10.”
Dozens of individuals took half in a rally in Brighton on Saturday after conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, a battle which has already claimed hundreds of lives.
The battle unfolded after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on Saturday morning, with Israel responding with retaliatory strikes and readying its army for a doable floor invasion.
The Israeli Defence Forces final night time issued a 24-hour evacuation discover to Gazans within the northern areas at midnight on Friday, saying areas close to Gaza Metropolis had been used for Hamas’s “army operations”.
The IDF referred to as on all civilians to go away the realm and head southward, a process that the United Nations stated was “unattainable”. Shifting by means of the densely-populated, closely destroyed area could be too tough, they stated.
Palestinian civilians residing in northern Gaza have stated they’re ignoring the Israeli order to evacuate southward as a result of they’ve “no place to go”, sparking fears that they might change into victims of the anticipated floor offensive.
The United Nations has urged Israel to rethink its evacuation discover, warning that it might probably lead to tons of extra civilian deaths.