Six activists charged in Britain over support for Palestine Action

British authorities have charged six people for participating in meetings to plan a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The six, aged from 26 to 62, were charged "with various offences of encouraging support for a proscribed terrorist organisation", the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

They were placed in detention and are due to appear in court on Thursday. They risk up to 14 years in prison.

Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organization and banned in July after vandalism at a Royal Air Force base.

The charges result from 13 online meetings they attended to prepare for several protests over the summer.

During an online press conference Wednesday, representatives of the group Defend Our Juries, to which the arrested individuals belonged, confirmed that demonstrations would go ahead on Saturday in London, Derry in Northern Ireland, and Edinburgh in Scotland.

British film director Ken Loach, who attended the event, called the ban on Palestine Action "absurd" and accused the government of being complicit in Israel's "incredible crimes" in Gaza.

More than 700 people who have held up such signs at previous protests over the last two months have been arrested under anti-terror laws for showing support for a proscribed organisation.

Police said Monday a further 47 people had been accused of showing support for a banned group, meaning 114 Palestine Action supporters have now been charged with the offence.

The arrests were made under the Terrorism Act 2000, which the government also used to proscribe Palestine Action.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper accuses it of orchestrating "aggressive and intimidatory attacks against businesses, institutions and the public".

Its outlawing came after the group took responsibility for breaking into a Royal Air Force base in June and spraying two aircraft with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($10 million) in damage.

Palestine Action said its activists were protesting Britain's support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.

Critics, including the United Nations and groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have condemned the group's proscription as legal overreach and a threat to free speech.