Teen to fight charge of displaying Hezbollah flag
A 19-year-old woman plans to fight a charge that she displayed a terrorist organisation symbol by flying a Hezbollah flag at a protest.
Sarah Mouhanna was charged with publicly displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
A woman accused of displaying the Hezbollah flag at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney will contest the allegations in court.
Sarah Mouhanna was charged with causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol following a protest in the Sydney city centre on September 29.
The 19-year-old appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, when her lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf.
Mouhanna remains on bail on the charge brought by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
Her lawyer Hisham Karnib declined to disclose on what grounds he would be defending the charge when questioned by media outside court.
“The matter is defended at this stage – and it will remain defended,” he said.
Mouhanna was excused from appearing when her matter returns to court on December 11.
The late-September protest was much larger than regular, weekly pro-Palestinian rallies following the expansion of the conflict into the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Lebanon.
A rally a week later, a day before the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, swelled to a still-larger crowd in Sydney, estimated at 10,000 people.
It followed a police bid to stop the event proceeding based on public safety concerns.
Screens warned protest attendees that displaying the Hezbollah flag, symbols or portraits of the group’s recently killed leader, Hassan Nasrallah, might be considered a criminal offence.
Several people were seen wearing and displaying green and yellow, the colours of Hezbollah’s official ensign.
Hezbollah and Hamas are proscribed terrorist organisations in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a warning at the time to anyone thinking about taking a flag for either group to a protest.
“They are symbols of terror,” he said.
“They are illegal, and they will not be tolerated here.”
Some 1200 people were killed and another 250 were abducted when Hamas attacked Israel.
By: Duncan Murray/AAP
Hamas and Hezbollah started the fight with Israel, and the evidence suggests that these terrorist groups want the fight to continue. The politically correct woke fraternity conveniently ignore these truths when they speak against Israel.
One of the common complaints is that “innocent” Palestinians (not Hamas) are being caught up in the conflict. It would be a lot easier to regard the “innocents” as innocent if Hamas had not been VOTED into power, if the innocents stopped waving Hamas flags, if they stopped making cupcakes with Hamas images, and if they stopped chanting “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.” Palestinians – how do you see the outcome of that chant? As described in Psalm 83:4? This Psalm ends just as Ezekiel 38 ends.
Psalm 83:18 Let them be ashamed and fearful forever; yes, let them perish in disgrace. 83:19 Let them know that you alone, whose name is Adonai, are the Most High over all the earth.
Ezekiel 38:23 I will show my greatness and holiness, making myself known in the sight of many nations; then they will know that I am Adonai.
Ezekiel 38 is talking about now! The proof is that 38:8 predicted Israel’s 1948 rebirth! When G-d intervenes, the world will enjoy the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
Read Daniel 2:44 and Micah 4:2.
Am I a Jew? Not by birth. Galatians 3:29. Isaiah 49:6
Look at her: 19 years old, privileged and ignorant. I would like to hear what she has to say in defence given the warnings given of the illegality of brandishing a terrorist flag. Or will it be a lawyer only response in court? Why is she excused from appearing on December 11?