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Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Activists convicted of harassing MP Alex Davies-Jones over Israel-Hamas war
Two activists have been convicted of harassing a government minister over the Israel-Hamas war. The pair were found guilty of the charge against Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd. Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, who had been campaigning in Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, ahead of last year's general election. In evidence she gave during the trial, Ms Davies-Jones said she was "terrified" after being confronted on 26 June last year. As she made her way to the meeting place, she saw the defendants with leaflets which described her as a "full-blown supporter of this genocide" - referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. "They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote," Ms Davies-Jones said. "It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation." She said the defendants began to follow her and "a number of young members" and were "shouting and bellowing down the street" at them. 'Like a unicorn in the wild' Later that day, Behit and Ahmed put posters, that referred to politicians "enabling genocide", on Ms Davies-Jones's campaign office in Pontypridd. A video of the confrontation was also uploaded to social media, describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. Ahmed said the action taken against Ms Davies-Jones "wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine". "I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her," she said. "It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild." Behit added that their intention was "to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research". Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring sentenced the defendants to a conditional discharge, and both were ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge. "This was part of a deliberate and sustained campaign targeting the complainant," he said. "This course of conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her and she did experience alarm and distress. She stopped canvassing." The judge said the case went "beyond the boundaries" of freedom of speech and was "beyond robust scrutiny or political process". Ahmed, a final-year architecture student at Cardiff University with no previous convictions, was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge. Behit, who has a previous conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff last year, was given an 18-month conditional discharge. Behit confirmed both defendants would appeal against their convictions. Ms Davies-Jones said in a statement after the conviction that she was "not the first politician to experience this kind of abuse, and unfortunately probably won't be the last". "What today's verdict has shown is that harassment and intimidation of politicians is unacceptable. We are human beings doing our jobs. And now, I'm back to getting on with mine," she added.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Two activists convicted of harassing justice minister over Israel-Hamas conflict
Two pro-Palestinian activists who accused a Government minister of supporting genocide relating to the Israel- Hamas conflict have been convicted of harassment. Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, were found guilty of the charge against Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, following a trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday. They had filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, who had been campaigning in the village of Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in the lead-up to the general election, on June 26 last year. Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring found both defendants guilty of harassment and sentenced them to a conditional discharge and fine. Giving evidence during the trial, Ms Davies-Jones told the court she was 'terrified' after being confronted by the two activists. As she made her way to the campaign meeting place, she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide' – referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ms Davies-Jones said: 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote. 'It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation. 'I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk. 'They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us – 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?'' Later in the day, Behit and Ahmed put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd – the base of Ms Davies-Jones' campaign for the general election – that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'. They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office and a poster reading 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop, while a video of the confrontation was uploaded onto social media describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. Asked about how their actions made her feel, the politician, who was first elected as MP for Pontypridd in 2019, told the court: 'I was terrified. 'I was worried because of the risk to my team and supporters, and my reputation given it was the general election and what that would mean.' Sentencing, Mr Goldspring told Ahmed and Behit: 'This was part of a deliberate and sustained campaign targeting the complainant. 'This course of conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her and she did experience alarm and distress. She stopped canvassing. 'It was not reasonable and it was oppressive.' The judge said the defendants did have rights to freedom of speech but this case went 'beyond the boundaries' of this protection and was 'beyond robust scrutiny or political process'. He sentenced Ahmed, a final year architecture student at Cardiff University with no previous convictions, to a 12-month conditional discharge. Behit, who has a conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff last year, received an 18-month conditional discharge. They were both ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge, at a rate of £20 per month. Mr Goldspring added: 'I would love to say you are remorseful. I suspect you are not. 'I suspect your views will be held until something happens very differently in that area of the world.' Ahmed, giving evidence, said she and Behit lived in Treforest and had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones' actions on Palestine ahead of the election. She said the defendants, both of Treforest, had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them. Ahmed said: 'I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her. 'It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild.' Ahmed said the action taken against Ms Davies-Jones 'wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine'. Behit told the court: 'She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex. 'My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person. 'Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted.' Speaking outside court, Behit confirmed that both defendants would appeal against their convictions. In a statement shared after the convction, Ms Davies-Jones said: 'As the Minister for Victims in the UK Government, I know all too well how difficult it can feel to experience crime and go through the criminal justice system – but I also know how important it is to do so. 'I want to thank South Wales Police, the witness support officers, and the Chief Magistrate for their service to our justice system. 'I am not the first politician to experience this kind of abuse, and unfortunately probably won't be the last. I have great admiration for colleagues of all political parties who are working hard to serve their constituents – we should be able to do so freely and safely. 'I am always happy to engage in constructive debate and discuss differing views with any of my constituents. It's an honour to serve my community and I try to be as accessible as possible. 'What today's verdict has shown is that harassment and intimidation of politicians is unacceptable. We are human beings doing our jobs. And now, I'm back to getting on with mine.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Justice minister ‘terrified' by actions of pro-Palestinian activists, court told
A Government minister has told a court she was 'terrified' after being confronted by two pro-Palestinian activists while campaigning in the lead-up to the general election. Alex Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, gave evidence at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday in the trial of Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, who deny harassment. The court heard how Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, had arrived in the village of Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on the afternoon of June 26 last year. As she made her way to the campaign meeting place, she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide' – referring to the Israel- Hamas conflict. Ms Davies-Jones told the court: 'I was asked a number of questions around the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel. 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote. 'It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation. 'I had a number of young members with me. They already felt uncomfortable, I didn't want them to feel more at risk. 'They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us – 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?'' Ms Davies-Jones said her group walked into the University of South Wales campus, then continued their campaigning but saw Behit and Ahmed about 20 minutes later. She described how Labour volunteers were knocking on doors and talking to constituents, followed by the two defendants handing out leaflets and claiming she 'supported genocide and murdering babies'. The team decided to finish early but discovered one of their vehicles had been 'covered with stickers and leaflets', Ms Davies-Jones said. Later that day, Behit and Ahmed put posters on the Labour office – the base of Ms Davies-Jones' campaign for the general election – in Pontypridd that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'. They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office, and a poster reading 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop. When asked about how their actions made her feel, Ms Davies-Jones told the court: 'I was terrified. 'I was worried because of the risk to my team and supporters, and my reputation given it was the general election and what that would mean. 'I was scared about what things they were going to do and what they were doing.' A video of the confrontation was then uploaded onto social media, with the caption describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist. She added: 'The abuse was endless. It was awful. It was relentless. I felt under attack. The video was clipped and manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied.' Ms Davies-Jones said that as a result of the incident, she reduced campaigning sessions and had to be accompanied by close protection officers. The politician, who was first elected as MP for Pontypridd in 2019, described the murders of fellow MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess as 'devastating'. 'They have an impact on all of us,' Ms Davies-Jones said. 'They have changed our lives fundamentally in how we live and work.' Giving evidence, Ahmed said she and Behit lived in Treforest and had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones' actions on Palestine ahead of the election. She said the defendants, both of Treforest, had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards them. Ahmed said: 'I was genuinely really surprised when I saw her. I've lived in Treforest for a couple of years, I've never seen her. 'It was like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild. 'I took the video because I thought nobody would believe me. It was a surprise when she approached us and said hi and she was willing to have a conversation. 'It felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something. 'Have you ever seen MPs talk to each other in the House of Commons? They can be quite brutal to each other.' Ahmed said it was her first time leafleting, having previously emailed Ms Davies-Jones and taken part in peaceful protest. 'This wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine,' she said. Behit told the court: 'She was running for MP and where I lived there were posters everywhere. It was constant, everywhere you looked was pro-Alex. 'My intention was to show a different perspective, to get people to do their own research. It was never about Alex as a person. 'Part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted.' Both defendants deny that their actions amounted to harassment. Their trial continues.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Pro-Gaza protester who harassed minister can avoid criminal record
A pro-Gaza protester who harassed a minister will avoid a criminal record if he does not reoffend within the next year. Hiba Ahmed, 26, and Ayeshah Behit, 31, left justice minister Alex Davies-Jones feeling 'terrified' after confronting her during the 2024 general election campaign. They had filmed a confrontation with Ms Davies-Jones, the Labour MP for Pontypridd, in her constituency. Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring found both defendants guilty of harassment but sentenced them to a conditional discharge and fine at Cardiff magistrates' court. Ahmed, an architecture student at the University of Cardiff with no previous convictions, was given a 12-month conditional discharge. Her conviction will not show up in criminal records checks if she does not offend within the next year. If she does reoffend, she can be sentenced for this offence and the new one. Behit, who has a conviction relating to a protest in Cardiff in 2024, received an 18-month conditional discharge. They were both ordered to pay £650 costs and a £26 court surcharge at a rate of £20 per month. During the trial, Ms Davies-Jones told the court that as she made her way to the campaign meeting place with some young Labour members she saw Behit and Ahmed with leaflets describing her as a 'full-blown supporter of this genocide', referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict. 'They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote,' she said. Ahmed and Behit then followed them down the street shouting: 'Why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies Alex Davies-Jones?' Video posted on social media Later in the day, the defendants put posters on the walls of the Labour office in the town that referred to politicians 'enabling genocide'. They also placed stickers in black capital letters reading 'Alex Davies-Jones how many murdered children is too many?' on the office and a poster that said 'Alex Davies-Jones supports genocide' on a bus stop. A video of the confrontation posted on social media described Ms Davies-Jones as racist. Judge Goldspring told Ahmed and Behit: 'This conduct was clearly designed to cause alarm and distress to her.' He said their actions went 'beyond the boundaries' of freedom of speech and was 'beyond robust scrutiny or political process'. Ahmed said she and Behit,both of Treforest, had wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones's actions on Palestine ahead of the election. She said the action taken against her 'wasn't really about her, it was about Palestine'. Behit said: 'My intention was to show a different perspective. It was never about Alex as a person.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Pontypridd MP terrified by pro-Palestine activists
A government minister was "terrified" after being confronted by two pro-Palestine activists while campaigning, a court has Davies-Jones said she felt "scared and intimidated" after being approached by Ayeshah Behit, 31, and Hiba Ahmed, 26, both from Treforest, Rhondda Cynnon Magistrates' Court heard Ms Behit and Ms Ahmed had leaflets describing the MP for Pontypridd as a "full-blown supporter of this genocide" in Gaza. Ms Davies-Jones, a justice minister, was approached while leafletting in the defendants' hometown on 26 June last year ahead of the general election - Ms Ahmed and Ms Ahmed deny their actions amounted to harassment. Ms Davies-Jones said she was asked questions "around the conflict in Israel and Palestine and my conduct as an MP, if I had taken part in votes, membership of organisations such as Labour Friends of Israel"."They asked me about the ceasefire and why I had abstained. I clarified I hadn't abstained, I wasn't in the country, I was paired in that vote," she added."It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated and we wanted to leave the situation."They began to follow us. They were shouting and bellowing down the street at us - 'why do you support genocide, why are you murdering babies, Alex Davies-Jones, do you support genocide?"' Ms Davies-Jones said the two defendants also handed out leaflets and put posters on the Labour office in Pontypridd that referred to politicians "enabling genocide".She told the court their actions left her feeling "terrified" and a video of the confrontation was uploaded on to social media with the caption, describing Ms Davies-Jones as racist, was "manipulated in a way that made it seem I had lied".Ms Davies-Jones said, as a result of the incident, she reduced campaigning sessions and had to be accompanied by close protection officers. Ms Ahmed said she and Ms Behit wanted to raise awareness of Ms Davies-Jones's actions on Palestine ahead of the election and had planned to hand out and post leaflets that afternoon when they saw their MP coming towards Ahmed said she filmed the video "because I thought nobody would believe me" adding that "it felt like a really normal conversation between people who don't agree on something".Ms Behit told the court "it was never about Alex as a person... part of her job as an MP is having people look at her policies, her opinions and how she voted," she trial continues.
