A further 60 people will be prosecuted for ‘showing support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action’, the Metropolitan Police said.
It comes after a chaotic London march on Saturday saw more than a staggering 500 activists arrested – bringing the total to over 700 since July 7, when the group was proscribed.
Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: ‘The decisions that we have announced today are the first significant numbers to come out of the recent protests, and many more can be expected in the next few weeks.
‘We are ready to make swift decisions in all cases where arrests have been made. The public has a democratic right to protest peacefully in this country, and I understand the depth of feeling around the horrific scenes in Gaza.
‘However, Palestine Action is now a proscribed terrorist organisation and those who have chosen to break the law will be subject to criminal proceedings under the Terrorism Act.
‘When protest conduct crosses the line from lawful activity into criminality, we have a duty to enforce the law.
‘People should be clear about the real-life consequences for anyone choosing to support Palestine Action. A terrorism conviction can severely impact your life and career – it can restrict your ability to travel overseas and work in certain professions.
‘I urge people to think very carefully about their actions at protests. Anyone who chooses to disobey the law will have to face the consequences.’
A chaotic London march on Saturday saw more than a staggering 500 activists arrested
Protesters sit in Parliament Square holding placards in support of Palestine Action on August 9
A woman is led away by police officers as supporters of Palestine Action take part in a mass action in Parliament Square
Following the announcement of Friday’s prosecutions, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: ‘I am proud of how our police and CPS teams have worked so speedily together to overcome misguided attempts to overwhelm the justice system.
‘If necessary, we are able to investigate and quickly charge significant numbers of people each week if people want the potentially life-changing consequences of a terrorist conviction’.
He assured that the force will continue to police the numerous protests each week where people express their views in support of Palestine without choosing to break Counter Terrorism Laws by supporting proscribed terror groups.
‘To be clear, these arrests and prosecutions do not outlaw people’s right to demonstrate in support of Palestine, or any other cause,’ he said.
‘They are simply the enforcement of a specific provision under the Terrorism Act in relation to a specific proscribed terrorist organisation, Palestine Action.
‘Where officers see these offences, we will continue to make arrests and, as shown today, the CPS and police will work to quickly secure charges, at whatever scale is necessary’.
He explained that the consequences for those charged under the Terrorism Act include a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) having a record of a person’s TACT conviction which will be seen by employers who use DBS to carry out checks on staff or new applicants.
On Saturday, August 9, during a day of mayhem and farce, Left-wing protesters swamped London’s Parliament Square in support of the organisation, which was proscribed by the Government last month as a terrorist group.
During a day of chaos and farce, Left-wing activists swamped Parliament Square in London on Saturday in support of the organisation, which was proscribed by the Government last month as a terrorist group
By 6pm Saturday police had arrested 365 people for supporting a proscribed organisation and seven others, including five for assaulting police officers
A protester is carried away by police officers at a Lift The Ban demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action
Hundreds held placards declaring ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’ in deliberate ‘idiotic’ acts of law-breaking designed to overwhelm police resources and the courts.
On Saturday, the Met Police announced that more than 360 people had been detained following the scenes of disorder – at an estimated cost of about £3million.
Protesters were accused of a ‘colossal’ waste of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money after seemingly getting deliberately arrested by officers.
However, in an update on Sunday afternoon, the Met said the number of total arrests had skyrocketed to 532 – with 522 of these being for people allegedly displaying placards supporting the proscribed terror group.
One of those arrests took place at the form up of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, but the remaining 521 arrests were carried out during the rally in Parliament Square.
There were a further 10 arrests, which included six for assaulting police officers, one for racially aggravated public order, two for breaching a Section 14 Public Order Act condition and one for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duties.
The average age of those detained by police was 54, the force said, with the youngest person cuffed by cops being aged just 17.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Met added: ‘We believe that 30 people arrested at the protest on Saturday had been arrested at previous recent protests in support of Palestine Action in London. We’re not in a position to confirm if any of those arrested had been arrested recently at protests outside London.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
