London’s Metropolitan Police on Friday announced that over 60 people will be prosecuted for supporting the proscribed Palestine Action group, in the wake of multiple arrests at a demonstration led by the group earlier this month.

Stephen Parkinson, director of Public Prosecutions, said that while the public has a democratic right to peacefully protest the situation in Gaza, supporting the proscribed Palestine Action group is a criminal offense under the Terrorism Act. Parkinson further highlighted the consequences of such an offense, which can heavily influence chances of future employment and the ability to travel overseas.

Independent of the fact that supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act, peaceful protesters doing nothing but holding up a sign saying “I support Palestine Action” have been detained by the Metropolitan Police, inflicting a disproportionate reaction to a politically sensitive topic on the general public. An elderly woman was seen being carried away by the Metropolitan police, while a young woman was detained for sitting down and holding up a sign with the words “I support Palestine Action.”

The initiative follows the arrest of more than 400 people earlier this month at a protest in Westminster. The police, at the time, stated that people in detention were released on bail, subject to their not participating in any protest organized by Palestine Action in the future. The UK’s official human rights commission expressed concern regarding the “heavy-handed policing” conducted by the Metropolitan Police.

In a letter to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the commission stressed the negative effect that disproportional policing can have on freedom of expression and basic human rights in a democratic society.

Amnesty International has expressed concern earlier this month, labeling the mass arrests of peaceful protesters in the UK as “deeply concerning.” Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, further said that it is “absurd” to be treating peaceful protesters as terrorists.