A British court has acquitted Sarah Cotte of criminal charges brought against her following a speech she delivered at a university. The legal proceedings centered on whether her remarks constituted a public expression of support for Hamas, a group proscribed as a terrorist organization in the United Kingdom.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that the content of Cotte’s speech crossed the legal threshold into supporting a banned entity. In her defense, Cotte maintained that her comments were misinterpreted. She testified that her rhetoric was specifically focused on the Palestinian right to resist occupation and was not an endorsement of Hamas or its specific actions. The court ultimately found in favor of the defense, clearing Cotte of the charges. The ruling highlights the ongoing legal complexities in the UK regarding the boundaries of free speech, particularly concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the interpretation of public statements made on university campuses.