Yvette Cooper defends Palestine Action proscription as 60 more face terrorism charges

The Home Secretary has called Palestine Action more than "a regular protest group" as she defended her decision to ban the group as a terror organisation.

She said protest and free speech remain "an important part of our democracy" which will "always be protected", but argued Palestine Action has carried out "an escalating campaign".

Cooper proscribed the group on July 5, following the vandalism of two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton by a pair of Palestine Action members.

The ban meant the direct action group was added to a list of terror groups including the likes of al Qaeda, ISIS and Hezbollah. Membership of, or support for, the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The proscription has led to international condemnation, and critics including the UN, Amnesty International and Greenpeace argue it is an overreach that has a chilling effect on free speech.

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The UN's high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, has described the ban as a "disturbing misuse" of counter-terror laws, calling the Home Office's order "disproportionate and unnecessary".

But writing in The Observer, Cooper said: "Some may think it is a regular protest group known for occasional stunts. But that is not the extent of its past activities."

Ms Cooper said counterterrorism intelligence showed the organisation passed the tests to be proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act with "disturbing information" about future attacks.

"Protecting public safety and national security are at the very heart of the job I do," she said. "Were there to be further serious attacks or injuries, the government would rightly be condemned for not acting sooner to keep people safe."

She also said only a tiny minority of people who had protested in support of Palestinian people since the start of the war with Israel had been arrested.

"That is why the proscription of this group is not about protest or the Palestinian cause," she said.

"In a democracy, lawful protest is a fundamental right but violent criminality is not."

It comes as the total number of arrests since the group was banned surpassed 700, most of whom were detained during a mass sit-in at Parliament Square last week.

The Met confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of 532 total arrests made during the policing operation.

Officers spent several hours detaining hundreds of protestors, with videos online showing an elderly woman and a blind man in a wheelchair being led away by the force.

The force said a further 60 people will be prosecuted for supporting the group, while Norfolk Police said on Saturday 13 people were arrested at a Palestine Action protest in Norwich.

More prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks, and arrangements have been put in place "that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary", the Met said.

Stephen Parkinson, director of public prosecutions, said: "The public has a democratic right to protest peacefully in this country, and I understand the depth of feeling around the horrific scenes in Gaza.

"However, Palestine Action is now a proscribed terrorist organisation and those who have chosen to break the law will be subject to criminal proceedings under the Terrorism Act.

"When protest conduct crosses the line from lawful activity into criminality, we have a duty to enforce the law."

A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide.

The spokesperson said: “When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.”