Two charged after Palestine Action protest

Two people will appear in court at the end of July

Two members of Palestine Action, a group the government wants to reclassify as a terrorist organisation, have been charged after a protest at a defence firm.

Avon and Somerset Police said India Kalff, 30, and 36-year-old Jordan Woodgate - both from London - have been jointly charged with criminal damage after the entrance to Bristol's Elbit Systems facility was blocked on Tuesday.

Palestine Action allege that Elbit Systems UK is involved in the manufacture and supply of weapons to the Israeli military - a claim that the company strongly denies.

Ms Kalff and Mr Woodgate have been released on conditional bail and will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 29 July.

Earlier this week, a draft order was laid before Parliament requesting an amendment to the Terrorism Act 2000 to include Palestine Action as a proscribed organisation.

If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it.

Palestine Action are seeking a legal challenge against the government's bid to proscribe it, with a hearing expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, 56,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.