The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, has won an appeal to challenge the proscription of the group by the UK Home Secretary.
Palestine Action co-founder, Huda Ammori, has been granted a full judicial review of the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe the direct action group.
If the legal challenge is successful, the ban would be fully reversed, and the ban would be rendered unlawful.
Ammori said that this was a “significant win against the state”, in a post on X.
The group was controversially banned under anti-terrorism laws on July 5, sparking a national debate.
Lawyers representing Ammori argued in a hearing in London last week that the proscription of Palestine Action put it on par with groups like the ISIS, Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda.
They argued that this was “repugnant” and an “authoritarian and blatant abuse of power.”
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The lawyers warned that the ban has already had a chilling effect across Britain regarding concerns over freedom of speech and protest.
Since the group’s proscription earlier this month, as many as 200 people have been arrested for protesting the ban.
The proscription under the anti-terrorism laws means that the individuals who were arrested are fully liable to be tried as terrorists.
Sir James Eadie, who spoke for the Home Office, said that the judicial review was not the correct route to challenge the ban, due to Parliament’s already existing POAC (Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission) designed for this purpose.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain, a British High Court judge, ruled that Ammori’s case against the ban was arguable and that they had the green light to proceed to trial.
Background to the ban
The Home Office officially banned Palestine Action earlier this month under the Terrorism Act 2000, which means that membership of, or expressions of support for, the group are now criminal offences.
The decision followed an incident in June when activists broke into RAF base Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, sprayed red paint over two Voyager aircraft, and caused an estimated £7 million worth of damage.
Four individuals have been charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited site. All four remain in custody.
The incident also prompted a nationwide security review across all UK military bases.
Palestine Action has led a series of direct actions targeting arms manufacturers linked to Israeli military operations since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023.
