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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
George Lithgow

64 charged with supporting banned group Palestine Action

Supporters of Palestine Action take part in a mass action (Stefan Rousseau/PA) - (PA Wire)

Charges have been brought against 64 people accused of showing support for the banned group Palestine Action, police said.

The charges relate to protests in central London on July 5 and 12.

They will appear in court across several dates in October, and face a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment.

More than 700 people have been arrested for showing support for the group since it was banned on July 5, with 67 charged so far, police said.

Palestine Action was proscribed after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to allegations of a serious assault on staff and police officers at a business premises in south Gloucestershire.

Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said: “The notion that by coming out and showing support towards a proscribed terrorist group will overwhelm us is completely misguided.

“The reality for those who have carried out this action is that they are now facing serious charges under the Terrorism Act.

“If convicted of such an offence, it can have a severe impact on your life or career, potentially restricting your ability to travel overseas or work in certain professions.

“My message to anyone thinking about carrying out similar action in the coming weeks is to reconsider.

“Thousands continue to attend protests where they freely express their views in support of Palestine, without breaking counter-terrorism laws.

“But where we do see offences, people will very likely be arrested and will certainly be swiftly investigated, working closely with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.”

Last week, Normal People author Sally Rooney was told she risked committing a terrorist offence if she funded the banned organisation.

The award-winning Irish author said she would donate earnings from her books and BBC adaptions to support Palestine Action.

Downing Street said “support for a proscribed organisation is an offence under the Terrorism Act” and no-one should be backing the group.

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