Twenty more people are being charged with a terrorist offence over allegedly offering support to banned group Palestine Action, Scotland Yard has said.
A total of 134 people have now been charged with criminal offences in the wake of a series of public demonstrations in central London over the government’s decision to proscribe the organisation.
The government took the controversial step in July, after Palestine Action activists had infiltrated the headquarters of an Israeli arms supplier as well as an RAF base. Trials over allegations of criminal damage, assault, and aggravated burglary are pending.
In response to proscription, protests sprung up in which hundreds of people at a time held up signs and wore badges and t-shirts which declared: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
Palestine Action previously said it is a group committed to direct action to try to convince the British government to halt the sale of arms to Israel, during the ongoing offensive on Gaza.
Proscription by the government labels an organisation as a terrorist group, and makes it a criminal offence to offer support for it.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Met said the force’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the response to the protests.
“The latest group of 20 people to be charged were all previously arrested in the Capital on Saturday 9 August.
“The charges were authorised against them by the Crown Prosecution Service and all 20 people have been notified of these via postal charge requisition.
They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 24.”
The defendants who have been charged with an offence under section 13 of the Terrorism Act are:
Richard Burge, 65, of Plumstead, Greenwich, Illinois Cook, 54, of New Malden, Surrey, Samra Abdirahman, 46, of Halton, Leeds, Stephanie Foster, 58, of Bickington, Devon, Carole Lawrence, 64, of Brighton, Israa Inbrahim, 42, of Ilford, Andrea Middleton, 53, of Hook, Hampshire, Susan Salvietto, 64, of Watford, Hertfordshire, Kristyan Robinson, 62, of Camden, North West London, Adrian Cadbury, 37, of Westminster, London, Trudi Warner, 70, of Walthamstow, East London, Chloe Hill, 61, of Southwark, London, Jane Augsburger, 60, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, Lindsay Alderton, 50, of Totnes, Devon, Mark Hudson, 55, of Stone, Staffordshire, Peter Thornton, 60, of Worthing, West Sussex, Cathrine Kibbler, 61, of Snaith, East Riding of Yorkshire, Adeelah Mir, 42, of Leyton, Waltham Forest, William Crane, 78, of Enfield, and David Chapman, 67, of Milton Keynes.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “For those people now charged, if convicted, they are facing potentially serious consequences that could impact on their careers and their ability to travel overseas.
“I would urge anyone considering committing a similar offence by coming out and showing support to Palestine Action to reconsider, otherwise you will very likely be arrested, investigated and, as these latest charges show, we are efficiently working with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.”
The activist organisation Defend Our Juries, which has been behind the wave of protests, is organising a fresh demonstration for this weekend and says it could be the biggest yet, with 1,500 pledges to attend.
Protests in support of Palestine Action have sprung up around the Labour Party’s annual conference, while a High Court challenge to the government’s decision to proscribe is due to be heard in November.
If the group is successful in overturning the ban, it is likely to have significant consequences for the criminal cases making their way through the courts.
