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Palestine Action wins bid to challenge UK ban under anti-terrorism laws
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 30, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 30, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Palestine Action secures a legal challenge against the UK's anti-terror ban, arguing it infringes on freedom of expression.
LONDON (Reuters) -The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group on Wednesday won her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.
Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group's proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism.
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.
Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori's application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action's proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5.
Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Ammori to bring a judicial review, saying her case that proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others' right to freedom of expression was "reasonably arguable".
Dozens of people have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban, and Ammori's lawyers say people expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police.
However, Britain's interior minister Yvette Cooper has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities – including breaking into a military base and damaging two planes – justify proscription.
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 Sarah Young and Mark Heinrich)
Huda Ammori won her bid to challenge the British government's decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, allowing her to bring a judicial review.
The proscription makes it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain by spraying red paint, blocking entrances, and damaging equipment.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper stated that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest, criticizing Palestine Action's activities.
The escalation began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, leading to Israel's denial of committing abuses.
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