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28 Charged Over Palestine Action Support Plead Not Guilty as Nationwide Protests Are Announced

A court rejected the Home Office's appeal this month, allowing a legal challenge to the ban to proceed.

Overview

  • Twenty-eight defendants appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court after July arrests, pleaded not guilty to section 13 Terrorism Act charges, and were listed for trial at Stratford Magistrates' Court in May.
  • The charges relate to placards reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action," with the specific offence carrying a maximum sentence of six months on summary conviction.
  • Defend Our Juries announced November demonstrations in 18 UK locations with an estimated turnout of about 1,500 people.
  • Prisoners for Palestine said some suspects being held on related cases plan rolling hunger strikes starting Sunday.
  • The proscription, introduced in July after police cited about £7 million damage to two RAF Brize Norton aircraft, makes membership or support a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years, and campaigners report more than 2,000 arrests with uneven enforcement across the UK.