London police say 67 charged for backing banned anti-Israel group Palestine Action
Accused face six months jail if found guilty of supporting organization proscribed as a terror group in July after activists vandalized Royal Air Force base
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London’s Metropolitan police have charged a total of 67 people with showing support for the banned anti-Israel group Palestine Action, the force announced on Tuesday.
The accused will appear in court across several dates in October, and face a possible maximum sentence of six months imprisonment if found guilty, the Met said.
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terror group in July following acts of vandalism at a Royal Air Force base, which caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) in damage to two aircraft.
The group said its activists were responding to Britain’s indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza, which began when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Rights groups have condemned the ban as legal overreach and a threat to free speech.
More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the group was outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Met said in its statement that charges had been laid against 64 people relating to protests held in central London on two dates last month.
That was in addition to charges brought against three other people announced earlier this month.
On Monday, acclaimed screenwriter Paul Laverty was arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action during a protest in Edinburgh, Scottish police said.
Last week, Irish author Sally Rooney vowed to give fees generated by two BBC adaptations of her books to Palestine Action.
The Times of Israel Community.