Activists chanting “We are all Palestine Action” have gathered outside a London court as the government prepares to ban the group as a terrorist organisation.
The protest formed on Monday morning at the gates to Woolwich crown court in southeast London, as 18 members of the direct action protest group are due to appear in court.
They are accused of storming an Israeli defence firm’s UK base with a re-purposed prison van, in an alleged plot to cause £1 million of criminal damage.
There is a heavy Metropolitan Police presence in the roads outside the court, while the normal pedestrian entrance has been closed off to the public.
One supporter held a banner reading “Palestine Action: Heroism not Terrorism” and another protested about UK sales of arms to Israel.
“The real terror is government abuse”, read a third banner, adding: “Activism is not a crime.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced last week that she intends to proscribe Palestine Action, with the order set to be laid before Parliament on Monday.
Proscription means that explicit support for the group would probably constitute a criminal offence. At least one of the banners held outside court, as well as the chants of “We are all Palestine Action” would likely fall foul of Britain’s terrorist laws.
The court case relates to an incident at the UK site of Israel-based defence firm, Elbit Systems, on August 6 last year, when it is said £1 million of damage was done in an unlawful invasion.
It is also said a police officer were attacked at the site in Patchway, Bristol.
The distant drumbeat from the protesters outside could just be heard in the courtroom itself, for a hearing which was delayed by more than an hour-and-a-half as one prison had failed to set up a videolink.
Charlotte Head, 28, Jordan Devlin, 30, Leona Kamio, 29, all from Hackney, east London; Samuel Corner, 22, Fatema Rajwani, 20, of Mitcham, south London, Zoe Rogers, 21, of Enfield, north London, Madeline Norman, 30, of Edinburgh, Ian Sanders, 45, of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and William Plastow 34, of Manchester have all pleaded not guilty to aggravated burglary with intent to do unlawful damage with sledgehammers, criminal damage, and violence disorder.
Corner, of Devon, alone denies a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a police sergeant.
Kamran Ahmed, 27, of London, Julia Brigadirova, 32, of Chorlton, Manchester, Zahra Farooque, 24, of Delorme Street, west London, Aleksandra Herbich, 40, of London, Teuta Hoxha, 29, of London, Hannah Davidson, 51, of Edinburgh, Sean Middleborough, 32, of Liverpool, Heba Muraisi, 30, of London and Qesser Zuhrah, 20, of London have not yet entered their pleas.
The case is expected to broken up into three trials due to the large number of defendents.
The first trial of eight defendants has been set for November 17 at Woolwich Crown Court.
The second trial, comprising six defendants, will begin on May 6 next year at the same court, and the third trial of four defendants is yet to be fixed.
