London police have charged 47 individuals with supporting the banned group “Palestine Action,” which was prohibited by the UK government under Keir Starmer’s leadership. The ban has sparked widespread criticism from human rights organizations and UN experts.

The police stated that the charges against protesters could lead to up to six months in prison, while UK law allows for up to 14 years imprisonment for membership in or support of a banned group under anti-terrorism legislation.

The UK government decided in July to ban “Palestine Action” following an incident where activists from the group stormed an airbase in southern England and sprayed planes with red paint, causing damages estimated at £7 million (approximately $9.55 million).

The ban has drawn criticism from human rights groups and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who described it as “disproportionate” and called on the UK government to revoke it.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the ban, stating in previous remarks that the group “is not non-violent.”

Founded in 2020, “Palestine Action” says it aims to stop global support for the system of genocide and apartheid in occupied Palestine, condemning British complicity through arms deals.

Over the past years, activists from the group have carried out several raids targeting industrial and military sites, including a Thales company site in Glasgow in 2022 and a branch of the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems in Bristol last year.

In March, activists affiliated with the group stormed a golf course owned by U.S. President Donald Trump in Scotland and wrote “Gaza is not for sale” on its grass.

One of the group’s founders, Huda Amouri, has filed a legal challenge against the ban, with a hearing expected in November.