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UK seeks to block challenge to Palestine Action ban under anti-terrorism laws
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
The UK government seeks to block a legal challenge against the ban on Palestine Action, citing anti-terrorism laws and security concerns.
LONDON (Reuters) -The British government on Thursday sought to block the co-founder of pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action from bringing a legal challenge over the banning of the group under anti-terrorism laws.
Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain's government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
The group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July, making it a crime to be a member, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. More than 1,000 people have since been arrested for holding signs in support of the group.
Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, was in July given permission to challenge the group's proscription, on the grounds it was arguably a disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression.
Britain's Home Office (interior ministry) is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn that decision and rule that any challenge to proscription should be heard by a specialist tribunal, rather than the High Court.
Palestine Action was proscribed shortly after some of its members broke into the RAF Brize Norton air base and damaged two planes in June, for which four members have been charged.
The group has particularly focused on Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems and Britain's government cited a raid at an Elbit site last year when it decided to proscribe the group.
Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin, editing by Ed Osmond)
Palestine Action has been accused of targeting Israel-linked companies in Britain, including vandalism and blocking entrances.
Huda Ammori is challenging the proscription of Palestine Action, arguing that it is a disproportionate interference with the right to protest.
The group was proscribed as a terrorist organization following incidents where its members damaged equipment at an RAF air base.
The UK government is seeking to block the legal challenge by asking the Court of Appeal to rule that such challenges should be heard by a specialist tribunal.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization in July, making membership a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
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