Sixty-four people have been formally notified of charges and are due to appear at court in October for showing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.
This follows confirmation on Friday, 15 August, that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised charges against 60 individuals for an offence under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, 2000, with another four added to that total since.
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have been working to notify all those affected, and those people have been sent a postal charge requisition (PCR) notifying them of the charge details and when they are due to appear at court.
Officers continue to pass case files to the CPS, with a further update on these expected towards the end of this week.
Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The notion that by coming out and showing support towards a proscribed terrorist group will overwhelm us is completely misguided. The reality for those who have carried out this action is that they are now facing serious charges under the Terrorism Act. If convicted of such an offence, it can have a severe impact on your life or career, potentially restricting your ability to travel overseas or work in certain professions.
“My message to anyone thinking about carrying out similar action in the coming weeks is to reconsider. Thousands continue to attend protests where they freely express their views in support of Palestine, without breaking counter terrorism laws. But where we do see offences, people will very likely be arrested and will certainly be swiftly investigated, working closely with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.”
All those charged were initially arrested in central London on either Saturday, 5 July or Saturday, 12 July. In total, 67 people have now been charged in relation to investigations led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. Officers continue to work closely with colleagues from the CPS to progress other cases, with further prosecutions expected to be confirmed in the coming days and weeks.
Three others were previously charged with an offence contrary to s.13 TACT, 2000 relating to alleged actions on 5 July and they are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
The original announcement can be found here.