Two Muslim protesters set fire to giant poppies at the end of a two-minute silence on Armistice Day as a crowd chanted “British soldiers burn in hell”, a court heard yesterday.
Mohammed Haque, 30, and Emdadur Choudhury, 26, were at the demonstration by Muslims Against Crusaders near the end of a charity walk for service personnel.
Haque and Choudhury were filmed unfurling plastic poppies and burning them at the end of a silence close to London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 11 last year, the court heard.
Witness Tony Kibble told police: “I felt sick inside. It is something that means so much to me. So to see what I believed was a wreath of poppies fall to the ground, it was despicable.”
Prosecutor Simon Ray said: “The actions went far beyond the boundaries of political protest and freedom of expression.”
He said the protesters were close to serving and former members of the armed forces and their relatives attending the Walk For Heroes event.
The case is being heard by Belmarsh magistrates, but at Woolwich crown court, amid tight security due to protests from the far right English Defence League and MAC.
Haque, of Bethnal Green and Choudhury, of Whitechapel, both East London, deny using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.The trial continues.