LONDON: London’s Metropolitan police said Monday it had charged another 47 people with supporting Palestine Action, bringing the number of activists accused of backing the banned “terrorist” 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’ imprisonment if found guilty, the Met said in a statement.
The 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 £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage.
Rights 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.
More 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.
