Jury hears Hamza speech
The voice of alleged preacher of hate Abu Hamza was heard for the first time by an Old Bailey jury today.
A two-hour video of a talk given by him in 1997/98 to a private meeting in Whitechapel, east London, was played to the seven men and five women of the jury on the second day of his trial on race hate allegations.
In it he talks about living among non-Muslims - suggesting that it was like living in a toilet - and that they were under the feet and heavy boots of unbelievers.
In the colour video, Hamza stands on a platform with other Muslims. He is seen in sandy-coloured headwear and a grey robe.
On the front of the platform is a banner with the words Al Jihad written prominently in red.
Before Hamza starts to speak, another reads prayers to the audience.
Bearded Hamza talks to his audience, in English, about living "among non-Muslims - kafirs - among the most enemies of Islam... asking them to give us security from our own oppressive regime, asking them to protect our children, our wives, our money from our own regime staying in their pavements happy to be there".
He says they were thrown "bits and pieces" as dogs who run after the honeypot, "as they like to call it".
"It is sad... what is more sad about it is that people are arranging their life according to this as the unescaped destiny.
"Do we stay like that... do we change?
"It looks like, unfortunately, that we have been forced, unfortunately, to be inside a toilet."
Hamza talks of what is happening to Muslims in Palestine, Bosnia and Kashmir, "everywhere they show it as a part of their news programme".
"We see the blood of our brothers. We have seen the humiliation of our brothers and sisters and yet only five minutes and then we will go to the roast and forget everything."
Hamza, 47, from west London, faces nine charges under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 alleging he solicited others at public meetings to murder Jews and other non-Muslims.
He also faces four charges under the Public Order Act 1986 of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred".
A further charge alleges Hamza was in possession of video and audio recordings, which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.
The final charge under section 58 of the Terrorism Act accuses him of possession of a document, the Encyclopaedia of the Afghani Jihad, which contained information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
Hamza denies all the charges.
