The U.K. government has proscribed the network as a terrorist group, a decision fiercely contested by the group itself.

Supporting Palestine Action is a criminal offence, with membership or expressing support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The charges come before a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in London's Parliament Square,

British police on Thursday said they had charged the first three people in England and Wales with supporting activist group Palestine Action since it was banned under anti-terrorism laws.