The co-founder of Palestine Action has secured permission to appeal a government ban designating the group as a terrorist organisation at the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court. Huda Ammori, 32, will challenge a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal last month, which ruled that the Home Office’s proscription of the group in July 2023 was lawful.
Palestine Action, a direct action group known for its civil disobedience campaigns, has been the focus of legal and political controversy since the ban’s implementation. Ammori initially argued that then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper misapplied her policy in proscribing the organisation. This argument gained traction after the High Court in February previously ruled the ban disproportionate and unlawful; however, that decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June.
The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear the case, likely between October and December this year, prolonging the legal uncertainty surrounding the organisation’s status. This unresolved issue affects thousands of individuals: more than 3,500 people have been arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action since the ban. Their cases are currently pending the final resolution of the proscription’s legality.
The ban has provoked widespread debate about the balance between national security and civil liberties. Ammori and supporters contend that it infringes on fundamental rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, specifically Articles 10 and 11, which safeguard freedom of speech and the right to protest. Ammori described the proscription as part of a broader crackdown on free speech and protest at a time when criticizing Israel’s actions is, in her view, increasingly urgent.
Civil liberties groups, some United Nations experts, and politicians from various political backgrounds have echoed concerns about the ban’s chilling effect on dissent. Ammori has also stated her intention to pursue the case at the European Court of Human Rights should the UK courts uphold the proscription.
The legal proceedings have coincided with further demonstrations and arrests. On the day permission was granted to appeal, dozens of activists were detained near Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Protesters, including elderly individuals and one woman in a wheelchair, engaged in acts of peaceful support and civil disobedience before being taken into custody. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed 77 arrests, mostly for expressing support for the proscribed organisation, with some charged for encouraging or assisting criminal offences.
One arrested demonstrator, Dick Scroop, 79, criticized the UK government’s foreign policy and the use of anti-terror laws against protesters, describing the ban as “an assault on free speech” amid allegations of British complicity in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling will be pivotal in determining the future of Palestine Action’s legal status and the broader implications for protest rights related to the Israeli-Palestinian issue in the UK.