'Terror T-shirts' Danes cleared

[Marcus Marulus]

'Terror T-shirts' Danes cleared


The company selling the T-shirts now wants its money back

Seven Danes who sold T-shirts with the logos of Colombian and Palestinian militants have been acquitted of supporting terrorist groups.

They had pledged five euros (£3.50) from each sale to the Farc in Colombia or the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine).

Both are classified as terrorist groups by the European Union.

The judges ruled that while the groups took part in murders and kidnappings, they were not guilty of terrorism.

Test case

Their ruling is being seen as a test case for Denmark's anti-terrorist laws introduced in 2002, which make it illegal to finance groups that feature on the EU's list of terrorist organisations.

While the court agreed the extremists' actions fell under an article in Denmark's penal code on terrorism, they decided there was no proof that their aim was to destabilise or destroy the foundations of society.

Danish police raided the clothing company, Fighters and Lovers, last year, seizing T-shirts and computers and shutting down its website.

The clothing company said it would now seek the return of its confiscated funds so that it could send the money to its two destinations, a Farc radio station and a graphics shop which produces posters in the Palestinian territories.

The Farc has been involved in a 40-year conflict with Colombian state forces and right-wing paramilitary groups, in which tens of thousands of civilians have died.

The PFLP, which combines Arab nationalism with Marxist-Leninist ideology, has carried out suicide attacks inside Israel and against Jewish settlements.

[source]