Spokesperson for Hizb ut-Tahrir convicted for incitement to armed conflict against Israel
The Copenhagen City Court ruled on Tuesday that Elias Ramadan Lamrabet, spokesperson for the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir in Denmark, is guilty of incitement to a crime. This comes after he called for armed conflict against Israel during a demonstration in 2021. He has been sentenced to 60 days of conditional imprisonment for his statements.
Lamrabet urged his listeners to mobilize those they knew who possessed skills, power, training, and weapons to “get rid of what they call Israel.” Although Lamrabet has not denied making these statements, he maintains that it is not incitement to a crime.
During the trial, Lamrabet explained that he wanted the armed forces in the countries surrounding Israel to feel a duty to assist the Palestinian civilian population. He emphasized that his call was not directed at civilians, but specifically at the Egyptian military to address what he describes as ‘Israel’s illegitimate occupation of Palestine.’
However, the court rejected Lamrabet’s explanation and assessed that his statements should be understood as a general call for armed intervention. The presiding judge stated that this applied not only to the military powers around Israel, but also to other armed groups, which is why the statements were considered incitement to crime.
In addition, Lamrabet was also charged with incitement to a crime based on a group’s ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics. However, the court found that he could not be convicted of this, as the call was directed at the state of Israel and not a specific population group, even though predominantly Jews live in the country.
After the verdict was read, Lamrabet’s defense lawyer announced that the judgment will be appealed.