U.K. police charge three people after Palestine Action ban

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LONDON — British police on Thursday said they had charged the first three people in England and Wales with supporting activist group Palestine Action since it was banned under anti-terrorism laws.

Two women and a man were charged under Britain’s Terrorism Act of 2000 following their arrest at a protest in central London on July 5, the capital’s Metropolitan Police force said.

A spokesperson for the force said there had already been seven charges in Scotland, which has a separate legal system.

The announcement comes ahead of a planned protest in support of the group outside the UK parliament on Saturday, with organizers saying more than 500 people are expected to attend.

“I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions,” Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counter terror department, said in a statement.

Jeremy Shippam and Judit Murray, both 71, and Fiona Maclean, 53, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Sept. 16, the Met said.

Murphy said more people arrested at the July 5 demonstration face charges.

“We are … planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day,” he said.

The government banned Palestine Action days after several of its activists broke into an air force base in southern England.

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Prosecutors have said they caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.

Being a member or supporting the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

In late July, a judge ruled that Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori could launch a court bid to overturn the ban.