UK Supreme Court to Consider Legality of Ban on Palestine Action Group
Legal Battle Over Proscription of Palestine Action
LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's Supreme Court has said it will hear an appeal against a lower court ruling that Britain's decision to ban campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was lawful.
Background of the Case
London's Court of Appeal ruled in June that proscribing Palestine Action under terrorism laws was lawful because of its support for violence, after the High Court ruled in February that the ban unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression.
Key Figures and Legal Challenge
Huda Ammori, who co-founded Palestine Action in 2020 and brought the legal challenge against proscription, was granted permission to appeal against that decision on Wednesday, the Supreme Court's website showed.
She said in a statement: "We will continue to fight this proscription all the way to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn what has become one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history."
Actions Leading to the Ban
Before it was proscribed, Palestine Action had increasingly targeted Israel-linked defence companies or firms with links to them with "direct action", often blocking entrances or spraying red paint, particularly Elbit Systems.
The group was banned shortly after a break-in at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton base in June 2025 in which activists damaged two military planes.
Impact of the Ban
Roughly 3,000 people have since been arrested for holding signs in support of Palestine Action, including dozens on Thursday outside Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden)
