Two women and a man have been charged with showing support for proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action following a protest in central London.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 September, the Metropolitan Police said.
It comes ahead of a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in London’s Parliament Square, with organisers expecting more than 500 people to attend.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation...
“Is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.
“These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on 5 July. We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.
“I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.”
Defend Our Juries said those taking part on Saturday will hold “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” signs on Saturday in central London as part of a campaign to end the proscription of Palestine Action.
The group added that the protest would go ahead as planned after the “conditional commitment requirement” was reached.
The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone found to be expressing support for Palestine Action “can expect to be arrested” following the Government’s decision to ban the organisation last month.
Defend Our Juries has denied that the planned mass protest will try to overwhelm the police and justice system.
A spokesperson said on Tuesday: “Defend Our Juries has confirmed that 500+ people have committed to holding ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ signs on Saturday in central London, as part of the Lift the Ban campaign, to end the proscription of Palestine Action.
“Since the threshold for the conditional commitment requirement has been reached, the action will go ahead as planned.”
More than 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries.
Many of the protesters were detained after writing and holding up the message “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on placards or pieces of cardboard.
The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident it subsequently claimed, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was “disgraceful” and the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.
The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
