A 59-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested and charged in Oban as part of an “investigation into those involved in encouraging support for Palestine Action”.
It comes after seven members from the campaign group Defend Our Juries were arrested as it prepared to announce further mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
The organisation said more than 1000 people will take action on September 6 in Parliament Square, holding signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
On Tuesday, Police Scotland said the 59-year-old charged would "appear at Oban Sheriff Court on Wednesday, September 3, and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal."
Inquiries are ongoing, they added.
Kerry Moscogiuri, director of campaigns and communications at Amnesty International UK, called the arrests “incredibly concerning” and said those held should be immediately released.
“The mass peaceful demonstrations they have organised over recent weeks are protected by international human rights law, and to think they run the risk of being imprisoned for up to 14 years is a terrifying example of the UK authorities’ willingness to use authoritarian practices to silence dissent,” she added.
The Metropolitan Police initially said that five arrests had taken place: Two men aged 26 and 55, and a 61-year-old woman, were arrested in London, while a 48-year-old woman was held in Kendal, Cumbria, and a 39-year-old man in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
The number of Defend Our Juries members arrested was later updated to seven.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed Palestine Action as a terror group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged military planes with red spray paint on June 20.
Under current rules, it is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to belong to or express support for the group, even without intending to.
Wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt or displaying their logo from one's home could result in a six month prison sentence and a fine of up to £5000.
