Palestine Action challenges UK government ban in Supreme Court

The direct-action group Palestine Action returned to the UK Supreme Court on Wednesday to contest the government's decision to outlaw the organisation under terrorism legislation. The two-day hearing follows a legal battle that has seen the group's designation as a terrorist organisation challenged in higher courts. This case is significant because it addresses whether the use of anti-terrorism laws to proscribe protest groups constitutes an authoritarian overreach that criminalises legitimate civil disobedience.

Legal arguments against the ban

During the first day of the hearing, lawyers representing Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori argued that the group has never advocated violence against individuals. According to reports from Middle East Eye, Raza Husain KC, representing Ammori, told the court that the group's objectives are aligned with liberal democratic values.

Husain stated that less than one per cent of the group's actions met the legal definition of terrorism. Specifically, he noted that out of 385 actions taken over five years, only three were assessed as meeting the definition, and those were based solely on "serious damage to property," according to the Morning Star. Husain further argued that the group follows a tradition similar to the Suffragettes, noting that while groups such as the Suffragettes, anti-war activists, and environmental protesters used extreme tactics, they were not regarded as terrorists or proscribed.

Huda Ammori told Middle East Eye that the government's measure has turned legitimate protest into a terrorism offence. She stated that the group has employed civil disobedience tactics rather than advocating violence against people. Ammori called on the Supreme Court justices to end what she described as "authoritarian overreach" and the "chilling censorship" the ban has unleashed.

Arrests and protests outside the court

The legal proceedings were met with demonstrations in central London. The Morning Star reports that more than 20 demonstrators assembled outside the Supreme Court before the hearing began. The Metropolitan Police later confirmed that 25 people were arrested during the protest.

Protesters held various placards, some referencing a social media post by journalist Sarah Helm, who is married to national security adviser Jonathan Powell. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries claimed that while the Metropolitan Police decided Helm's message did not meet a criminal threshold, they arrested protesters regardless. The spokesperson described the application of the law as "blatantly discriminatory."

Actor Alfred Enoch, who participated in the protest, told the Morning Star that the ban has created a "chilling effect" and is part of a "wider erosion of rights of protest" which he described as fundamental to democracy.

History of the legal challenge

The current Supreme Court hearing follows a complex legal history. According to the Morning Star, the case stems from a challenge against the 2025 decision made by then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. While three judges found the ban unlawful in February, five judges at the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June, deciding the proscription was "justified and proportionate."

The consequences of the ban have been widespread. Middle East Eye reports that authorities have arrested at least 4,000 people on charges linked to the group since the government imposed the ban in July last year.

This piece was generated automatically by an AI model from the sources listed below. It has not been reviewed by a human editor.

Sources

• Palestine Action takes fight against UK ban to Supreme Court — Middle East Eye
• UK: Dozens arrested outside Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action ban — Middle East Eye
• 25 arrested outside Supreme Court as Palestine Action ban appeal begins — Morning Star