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’
Ayeshah Behit. Pic: PA
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.
“I would love to say you are remorseful. I suspect you are not,” Mr Goldspring added.
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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.
