Suspended sentence for Danish terrorism fundraiser

Mar 15, 2010, 12:08 GMT

Copenhagen - A Danish court Monday handed down a six-month suspended sentence to a man convicted of raising funds for two Palestinian and Colombian militant groups.

Patrick Mac Manus of the group Opror, or Rebellion in Danish, was convicted of raising funds in 2004 for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Copenhagen district court said.

The court said it had not taken into account the defendant's explanation that the fundraising event was a 'stunt' aimed at highlighting and challenging Danish terrorism laws, and that no funds were ever transferred.

In 2004, the group issued several statements saying it had raised 100,000 kroner (18,400 dollars).

The 65-year-old Mac Manus is an artist and writer. His lawyer said he was considering an appeal, Danish media reported.

The district court also cited earlier rulings by an appeal court and by the Supreme Court against the activist group Fighters+Lovers that had raised funds for FARC and PFLP by selling T-shirts.

Those rulings cited reports on alleged terrorist acts by FARC and PFLP by human rights watchdogs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United Nations and the Danish security and intelligence service PET.

The European Union has listed FARC and PFLP as terrorist organizations.