Three charged with showing support for banned group Palestine Action
Two women and a man were arrested in Westminster following a protest in central London on July 5.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judith Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney, north-east London, were all charged with showing support for a proscribed organisation under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
READ MORE: Yvette Cooper under pressure to grant UK visas for 80 Palestinian students
They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 16.
The charges come ahead of a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in London's Parliament Square, with organisers expecting more than 500 people to attend.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.
'These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on 5 July. We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.
'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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
Parrot assists police in uncovering major drug operation
British police bust drug network after finding a parrot trained in dealer phrases and cash handling (Credit: Lancashire Police)
Bloomberg
33 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
UK to Offer Cheaper Energy Bills to Homes Near Electricity Pylons
The UK confirmed plans to offer discounts on energy bills to people living near new electricity pylons as it seeks to ease opposition to essential grid upgrades. Britain's electricity generation capacity is growing faster than the grid's ability to send the power where it's needed. The country needs to add twice as much network infrastructure in the next five years as was built in the last decade to meet 2030 targets. But that requires efforts to keep local communities on side.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali quits over rent hike claims
Rushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister, Downing Street has confirmed. The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London. There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians. In a letter to the prime minister she said "at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements" but that remaining in the role would be "a distraction from the ambitious work of this government". The row was sparked after Ali ended her tenants' fixed term contract in order to sell up, but then re-listed the house for rent at a higher price within six months, which is something she is currently trying to outlaw under the Renters' Rights Bill. In a story first broken by the the i Paper, a former tenant said she was sent an email in November giving four months' notice the lease would not be renewed. She said shortly after she and the three other tenants moved out, the house in east London was re-listed at a rent £700 a month higher. In a letter to the prime minister, Ali wrote: "It is with a heavy heart that I offer you my resignation as a minister." Insisting that "at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements" she added: "I believe I took my responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this. "However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government. "I have therefore decided to resign from my ministerial position." Responding to her resignation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer thanked her for her work, which he called "diligent". What are the rules about renting and eviction, and how are they changing? London's 'spiralling' housing crisis in numbers The PM praised her work to repeal the Vagrancy Act and added: "I know you will continue to support the government from the backbenches and represent the best interests of your constituents in Bethnal Green and Stepney." A source close to Ali said the previous fixed-term contract had been ended because the house was being put up for sale and the tenants had been told they could stay on a rolling basis while the house was on the market, but they had chosen to go. The house was put on the market in November 2024 with an asking price of £914,995 but was reduced in February by £20,000 and the i Paper said it was only re-listed as a rental because it had not sold. The government's Renters' Rights Bill is in its final stages in Parliament, and will ban landlords re-listing a property for rent, if they have ended a tenancy in order to sell, for six months. Landlords must also give four months' notice to tenants when the legislation is passed, which is not expected to be until at least next year. London Renters Union spokesperson Siân Smith said Ali's actions were "indefensible" and she "must step down" due to a "clear conflict of interest" with the Bill in its final stages. Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake was among other opposition politicians accusing Ali of "staggering hypocrisy" over the handling of the property. After she quit, he added: "It is right that Rushanara Ali has now quit the Government following our calls for her to go. "Keir Starmer promised a government of integrity but has instead presided over a government of hypocrisy and self-service." Also welcoming her resignation, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: "Rushanara Ali fundamentally misunderstood her role. "Her job was to tackle homelessness, not to increase it. "At a time of widespread political disillusionment, her actions were staggeringly irresponsible and only added insult to injury after years of delay for renters' rights reform under the Conservatives." This is not the first time Ali has been criticised. She had to give up part of her ministerial portfolio last year, when she attended a conference linked to the parent company of one of the firms heavily criticised in the recent Grenfell inquiry. Giving up her duties managing building safety and the government's response to the Grenfell Tower fire, she said she was relinquishing her building safety brief because "perception matters". Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
