LONDON: Protesters arrested under the UK’s Terrorism Act for supporting the banned group Palestine Action should not be prosecuted while there is a legal challenge against the ban, rights groups have told the government.
Organizations including Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Lord Hermer, the attorney general for England and Wales, urging the delay in prosecutions, The Guardian reported on Friday.
More than 500 people, half of whom are aged 60 or older, were arrested at a London demonstration last weekend under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which prohibits public displays of support for proscribed groups.
Proceeding with prosecutions amid a judicial review into the ban on Palestine Action would raise significant legal and moral questions, said the letter, which was also signed by Friends of the Earth, Global Witness and the Quakers. The review is expected to be heard in November.
Lord Hermer must act “in the public interest” and take decisive action over the question of prosecution, the letter said.
