A 36-year-old man who was accused of spreading “misinformation” during Hindu-Muslim unrest in Leicester two years ago on Wednesday appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London charged with unrelated terror offences.
Majid Novraska a.K.A. Freeman appeared in the dock as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) read out the charges of encouragement of terrorism and supporting Hamas, a proscribed or banned organisation.
The Leicester-based community activist, whose supporters gathered outside the court waving Palestinian flags, was released on conditional bail which prohibits him from transmitting or posting messages on social media. District Judge Louisa Cieciora agreed that the case was not suitable for summary, or speedy, trial and transferred the case to be heard on the Terrorism List at the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey in London on August 16.
“Many of Freeman's allegations of violence against Muslims perpetrated by Hindus in Leicester have later been found to have no evidence,” think tank Henry Jackson Society's report entitled ‘Hindu-Muslim civil unrest in Leicester' from November 2022 states, with reference to clashes that were triggered in the city in the wake of an India-Pakistan cricket match.
“Many of Freeman's allegations of violence against Muslims perpetrated by Hindus in Leicester have later been found to have no evidence,” the report added, naming him as one of the social media "influencers spreading misinformation” in the lead up to clashes in September 2022.
During his hearing on Wednesday, the court heard that on various dates between December 26 last year and June 20 this year Freeman expressed an opinion or belief supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, and in doing so was “reckless” as to whether a person to whom the expression was directed would be encouraged to support Hamas.
The second charge under the UK's Terrorism Act 2006 reads that in March he used his social media accounts to post messages in relation to the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in France, intending “members of the public to be directly or indirectly encouraged or otherwise induced by the statement to commit, prepare or instigate acts of terrorism”.
The investigation was carried out by the Counter Terrorism Police in the East Midlands, which arrested, interviewed and charged Majid Novraska – whose social media accounts refer to him as Majid Freeman – on July 9.
His defence team asked that his strict bail conditions related to accessing social media be amended to allow him to review his past posts for the purpose of the court hearings, which Judge Cieciora agreed to.
The context of the allegations in relation to social media posts in the case date from October 7 last year, the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and subsequent conflict.
The accused spoke only to confirm his name, age and address and did not enter a guilty or not-guilty plea at this stage.
