Court told of calls to murder at cartoons protest

Published on Wednesday 3 January 2007 00:49

A BRITISH citizen called for the murder of American and Danish people during a demonstration in London, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.

Umran Javed, 27, was said to have been one of the leaders of the demonstration against the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

Javed, of Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, was filmed by the police and arrested later, said David Perry, QC, prosecuting.

Javed denies charges of soliciting murder and stirring up racial hatred.

Mr Perry said the demonstration by Muslims on 3 February last year was to protest about the cartoons printed in Denmark and then reproduced in some European countries.

He said Javed used a loud hailer to address about 40 people outside the Danish embassy in Sloane Street, Knightsbridge.

Javed allegedly told his audience to take lessons from the murder of the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, and the slaughter of Jews.

He was said to have shouted: "Bomb, bomb Denmark. Bomb, bomb USA."

Mr Perry said the crowd responded to the calls with similar calls and chants.

The prosecutor said the case was not about freedom of assembly or freedom of speech. He said the words used were plainly criminal.

"The prosecution case is that the defendant was clearly encouraging people to commit murder - terrorist killing," he said.

The trial continues.