On October 10 of last year, several hundred people gathered at The Red Square (Den Røde Plads) in Copenhagen for a demonstration organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir. A 29-year-old member of the organization shared his views on Hamas’ attacks on Israel from the podium, which the prosecution considers to be a punishable act. On Tuesday, the young man is on trial at Copenhagen City Court (Københavns Byret), charged with endorsing terrorism. He denies any wrongdoing but acknowledges the factual circumstances surrounding his speech, which was recorded and later uploaded to Hizb ut-Tahrir’s YouTube channel, although the video has since been removed.

In his approximately ten-minute speech, he called for remembrance of recent events and emphasized the importance of passing this memory on to future generations. According to the indictment, he pointed out that only a small group of Muslims were capable of exposing the weakness of the Israeli occupying forces. In court, he explained that Israel should be viewed as an illegitimate occupying power that needs to be challenged by regular armies—a role he does not attribute to Hamas. He described the attack as a “brutal humiliation,” saying that Hamas came “in flip-flops and armed with homemade weapons.”

During the court proceedings, the defendant stressed that his speech was not a tribute to Hamas but rather a critique of Israel’s alleged weaknesses. He described how organizations like Hizb ut-Tahrir oppose militant actions in favor of intellectual and argumentative combat. Furthermore, he asserted that acts of violence such as rape and murder of women and children can never be justified. He did not make a clear statement regarding Hamas being a terrorist organization but acknowledged their right to self-defense and targets against military objectives.

The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence for the 29-year-old, with a verdict expected later in the day. The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in over 1,200 deaths, and around 250 people were taken hostage.