An 81-year-old woman is among 47 more people charged for allegedly showing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action during protests this summer.
More than half are over 60, according to details released by the Metropolitan police. The overall number of people charged now stands at 114.
Organisers of the protests accused the Met of desperation in “rushing out” the charges in an effort to deter people from taking part in action this Saturday.
Among the latest group to be charged is Yvonne Hayward, 81, a retired teacher and psychotherapist from Lewisham in south-east London. All of the latest charges relate to a protest on 19 July.
The protests, in which participants were encouraged to hold signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, were organised by the campaign group Defend Our Juries.
Tim Crosland, a Defend Our Juries spokesperson, said: “This smacks of desperation by the Met, once again rushing out last-minute charges against a handful of the more than 720 people who have been arrested in an apparent attempt to try to deter people from taking part in a mass action this Saturday.
“When they tried that last time, around 1,000 people came and held signs defying the ban in Parliament Square. The Met’s scare tactics didn’t work then and they won’t work now.
“The fact that over half of the people they’re trying to make an example out of as ‘terrorists’ are pensioners and grandparents over the age of 60, including many people in their 70s and an 81-year-old, further highlights the absurdity of Yvette Cooper borrowing from the playbook of authoritarian regimes around the world by using counter-terrorism laws to ban a protest group.”
Another person notified on Monday that they were being charged was Alice Clack, 49, a senior NHS obstetrician and gynaecologist and a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders.
All have been charged with an offence contrary to section 13 of the Terrorism Act, the “lower-level” part of the legislation, which means they will be tried in a magistrates court rather than a crown court. They are expected to appear at Westminster magistrates court on either 27 or 28 October.
The protests were part of a campaign to lift the ban on Palestine Action, which became the first direct action group to be proscribed under terrorism laws on 20 June. Members of the organisation were suspected of having broken into the RAF’s Brize Norton airbase and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint.
DCI Helen Flanagan, the head of operations at the Met’s counter-terrorism command, said the force was “quickly and efficiently” investigating those arrested for allegedly showing support for Palestine Action. The Met anticipates further charging decisions this week and beyond.
Flanagan said: “We fully recognise people’s right to demonstrate peacefully, and thousands continue to protest in support of Palestine without breaking counter-terrorism laws.”
She said she would urge anyone planning to show support for Palestine Action to reconsider. “For those people now charged, if convictedthey are facing potentially serious consequences that could impact on their careers and their ability to travel overseas,” shesaid.
The Met listed some of what it described as the consequences of being charged under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which include a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment if convicted. It said employers might view such a conviction as grounds for refusal to employ a person or to dismiss them, and by universities as grounds to prevent entry to courses.
