LONDON
\nLondon\u2019s Metropolitan police said Monday it had charged another 47 people with supporting Palestine Action, bringing the number of activists accused of backing the banned \u201cterrorist\u201d group to 114.
\nThe accused, aged between 18 to 81, will appear in court on October 27 and 28, and face a possible maximum sentence of six months\u2019 imprisonment if found guilty, the Met said in a statement.
\nThe UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terror group in July after two planes were vandalized at a Royal Air Force base, causing an estimated \u00a37 million ($9.3 million) of damage.
\nRights groups and UN experts have condemned the ban as legal overreach and a threat to free speech, and several protests have been held in London to denounce the move.
\nMore than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the group was outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000. A total of 114 of those detained have been charged.
\nInterior minister Yvette Cooper has said the group had a \u201clong history of unacceptable criminal damage.\u201d
\nAnd she has insisted \u201cmany people may not yet know the reality of this organization,\u201d adding it \u201cis not non-violent.\u201d
\nFounded in 2020, Palestine Action says it is a \u201cdirect action\u201d network aimed at denouncing what it alleges is British \u201ccomplicity\u201d with Israel, particularly over the issue of arms sales.
\nIt has also targeted arms companies in the UK, including a branch of the Israeli group Elbit, and in March stormed a Scottish golf course belonging to US President Donald Trump writing \u201cGAZA IS NOT FOR SALE\u201d on the grass.
\nPalestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has launched a court bid to overturn the UK government\u2019s ban and a hearing is set for November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON London\u2019s Metropolitan police said Monday it had charged another 47 people with supporting Palestine Action, bringing the number of activists accused of backing the banned \u201cterrorist\u201d group to 114. The accused, aged between 18 to 81, will appear in court on October 27 and 28, and face a possible maximum sentence of six months\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n