Sydney's Hyde Park Muslim Insurgency Protestor Hamza Cheikho

Hamza Cheikho: Jury told to accept his role in the Hyde Park Muslim protest

Amy Dale Chief Court Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
September 30 2015.

A SUPREME Court jury was yesterday urged to accept that a man who participated in the Hyde Park Muslim protest should take responsibility for his part in working up the crowd.

Hamza Cheikho is suing Nationwide News, the publisher of The Daily Telegraph, for defamation over four articles published in the fortnight following the protest in September 2012.

The publisher is defending the proceedings on grounds ­including truth and honest opinion.

Tom Blackburn SC, counsel for Nationwide News, yesterday finished his closing ­address to the jury of two men and two women before submissions began from Mr Cheikho’s barrister, Tom Molomby SC.

Mr Cheikho, 22, was never interviewed by police nor charged in relation to the ­protests, which were sparked by Muslim outrage at a YouTube video that was deemed to be offensive to Islam.

The former junior rugby league coach claims the articles falsely depicted him, among other imputations, as a Muslim extremist who incites other Muslims to violence.

Mr Molomby told the jury his client had been portrayed in a “viscous distortion” as “one of the ringleaders, one of the activists, one of the troublemakers who had done this”.

“(But) he’s not in the front rank, he’s not in the pushing and shoving. He is a follower and not a leader,” he said.

Mr Blackburn reminded the jury that NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione had given evidence about the investigation after the protest as police attempted to work out why the day turned violent.

Mr Scipione gave evidence last week that the event, which resulted in the arrest of several men and injuries to police, could be classified as “a riot”.

Mr Blackburn told the court yesterday “no Australian gets praise for not being violent ­because that is an obligation that we all have”.

Mr Blackburn suggested to the jury Mr Cheikho “must take responsibility” for attending the protest and for encouraging others to attend via a post he made on Facebook.

The court has heard Mr Cheikho joined in with chanting at the US consulate on the day of the protests when the crowd shouted “Obama, Obama, we love Osama”.

Mr Cheikho has denied he chanted those words.

The hearing continues.