Protesters against the ban on Palestine Action are planning 18 more demonstrations next month, as they say mass arrests under terrorism laws are already causing “absolute chaos” in the courts.
More than 2,100 people have been arrested since the group was proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation on 5 July.
They were arrested after holding handwritten cardboard signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” according Defend Our Juries (DOJ).
The campaign group said around 170 of them have been charged with an offence under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which carries a maximum six-month prison sentence.
The section makes it an offence to wear or display items, such as clothing or symbols, in a way that gives a reasonable suspicion that the person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.
“I have seen myself the absolute chaos this is creating within magistrates’ courts,” said spokesman Dr Clive Dolphin.
Organisers said around 1,500 people could take part in action next month in towns and cities including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds, Aberystwyth, Nottingham, Northampton, Gloucester, Truro, London, Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Sheffield, Exeter and Lancaster.
Some of the suspects being held in prison awaiting trial over alleged direct action at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and defence firm Elbit Systems UK in Bristol are due to stage rolling hunger strikes starting on Sunday.
Palestine Action was proscribed just weeks after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at Brize Norton on 20 June. Police say the incident caused about £7m worth of damage.
The group’s co-founder Huda Ammori is bringing a legal challenge against the government’s ban under anti-terror laws.
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Read more: What does Palestine Action ban mean?
The ban, which added the group to the UK’s proscribed list alongside the likes of al Qaeda, ISIS, and Hezbollah, made membership of, or support for, the group a criminal offence.
The wave of protests is planned to add pressure on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as the judicial review hearing takes place at the High Court over three days from 25 November.
Volunteers who sign up to the demonstrations are asked to tick a box stating: “I understand that participating in this campaign comes with risks, a chance of arrest and other legal consequences.”
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The last major protest earlier this month saw almost 500 arrests after demonstrators defied calls not to attend in the wake of the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
Ms Mahmood announced police would be given greater powers to restrict protests, allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.
