Should expressing moral support for Hamas be a criminal offence in the UK?

A UK Palestine activist, Kwabena Devonish, was prosecuted under the Terrorism Act for inviting support for a proscribed organisation after publicly describing Hamas as “fighting for freedom” and “fighting for the people”.

She was ultimately acquitted.

I personally oppose criminalising people for expressing moral support for Hamas, although I also believe the way prominent organisations and individuals uncritically supported Devonish was morally and politically reckless. I wrote about this in my latest article:

https://aidanmneal.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/the-palestine-movement-kwabena-devonish-and-a-culture-of-uncritical-endorsement/

At what point should political speech become a criminal matter? Should expressing moral support for a proscribed organisation be illegal? And are these prosecutions helping to combat extremism, or simply turning people with extreme views into cause celebres?