PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN (PSC) director Ben Jamal said he would “vigorously” contest charges brought to him today following the police crackdown on Saturday’s pro-Palestine march.

He will appear before Westminster magistrates’ court on Friday February 21 accused of public order offences including inciting people to fail to comply with protest conditions.

In a statement he said that he voluntarily attended an interview with the Metropolitan Police on Sunday after he was accused of leading and inciting others to join a procession in breach of police conditions.

“Within two hours of the interview concluding, police officers turned up at my front door to inform me that charges were being brought against me,” he said.

He warned: “The state wishes to silence our movement.

“The facts of what happened on Saturday are laid out clearly in the statement made by the Palestine Coalition, backed by the wide body of video evidence PSC has posted online.

“It seems clear that the political intention was to create scenes of mass disorder which could be used to justify the Home Secretary intervening to ban all future marches.

“Despite this attempt, there were not scenes of mass disorder. This was due to the extraordinary and determined discipline of those who came to protest, even in the face of such provocation.

“I thank everyone who attended and send solidarity to all those unjustly arrested, some of whom, including my comrade Chris Nineham of the Stop the War Coalition, are now also facing charges.

“What the political establishment also seeks is to distract attention from their complicity in the genocide that they have green-lighted for the last 15 months.”

Jamila Zadran, 32, of East Ham, east London, and Luke Jacobs, 22, of West Hampstead, north-west London were also charged today.

Zadran is accused of assaulting an emergency worker and Jacobs of obstructing a police officer and criminal damage.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP John McDonnell have also been voluntarily interviewed by police after the demonstration that saw 77 arrests.

Norman Thomas, film producer for Censoring Palestine, which premieres tomorrow, has claimed that Sir Keir Starmer ordered the police crackdown on the marches to prevent mainstream media reporting on alleged war crimes by his government.

No 10 was contacted for comment.