Palestine Action challenges UK government’s proposed ban
Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action announced on Monday that it has initiated legal proceedings to contest the UK government’s plan to ban the organisation under anti-terrorism legislation.
The proscription, expected to be formally presented to Parliament this week, would criminalise membership in Palestine Action. The move follows recent protests by the group in which activists caused damage to two British military aircraft, actions taken in opposition to the UK’s support for 'Israel'.
Describing the government’s decision as “an unhinged reaction,” Palestine Action revealed that the High Court in London granted it an urgent hearing scheduled for Friday to seek permission to legally challenge the ban. The group is also pursuing a court order to delay the proscription until the case is fully heard.
Read more: UK to ban Palestine Action, labeling it as "terrorist group"
Included in their legal submission are statements from human rights experts at Amnesty International and other organisations, expressing concerns about “the unlawful misuse of anti-terror measures to criminalise dissent.”
Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, emphasised the significance of the court’s decision to fast-track the hearing. “The court's decision to grant an urgent hearing this week is indicative of the vital importance of what is at stake in this case, including the far-reaching implications any proscription of Palestine Action would have on fundamental freedoms of speech, expression and assembly in Britain,” she said.
Under current British law, the Home Secretary can proscribe a group if it is believed to engage in, encourage, or be “otherwise concerned in terrorism.” Should Palestine Action be banned, it would be placed alongside groups like Al-Qaeda and Daesh in the eyes of the law.
The Home Office declined to comment on the legal challenge, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously stated that Palestine Action has a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage” and stressed that the government will not tolerate actions that threaten national security.
Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in 2023, Palestine Action has actively targeted British sites linked to the 'Israeli' defence firm Elbit Systems and other companies with ties to the Israeli Occupation.
