Tayeh guilty over ‘All Zionists are terrorists’ chant

Pro-Palestinian activist Hash Tayeh, the former owner of the Burgertory restaurant chain, has been found guilty of using insulting words in public over his chant of “all Zionists are terrorists”, after the constitutional challenge that had stalled the verdict failed.

The court is now hearing argument on the penalty to be imposed.

Menachem Vorchheimer, the Jewish community activist who has pursued a series of proceedings over the chant, confirmed the decision to The AJN by phone from the courtroom during a short recess on Wednesday.

The finding closes a question that had been left open since June, when the court found that the phrase, chanted at a rally on 30 March 2025, was insulting within the meaning of the Summary Offences Act 1966, and that Tayeh had said the words intentionally.

In the ordinary course a finding of guilt would have followed at once. It did not, because Tayeh had signalled he would argue that punishing the chant would breach the implied freedom of political communication, a constitutional limit on laws that restrict political debate rather than a general right to free speech.