UK: Dozens arrested outside Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action ban

Lawyers representing the co-founder of Palestine Action have argued that the direct-action group has never advocated for violence against individuals, as the campaign to overturn its designation as a terrorist organisation by the UK government reached the Supreme Court. Speaking on the first day of the two-day hearing, Raza Husain KC, representing Huda Ammori, opened proceedings and said that less than one percent of the group’s protests met the legal definition of terrorism. "It’s not the label that's important – it’s the substance. Palestine Action has never advocated violence against individuals and follow a similar vein to the Suffragettes who were not peaceful... are part of the tradition [and] proven right by history and venerated. “The uncontroverted evidence shows moreover that [the] Suffragettes, anti-war groups, environmental groups, animal rights protesters all used tactics similar to or more extreme than Palestine Action, yet they were not regarded as terrorists or proscribed,” said Husain. The barrister noted that the Suffragettes are now widely celebrated despite using tactics like arson and bomb attacks in the cause of campaigning for the right to vote for women. Read more: UK: Dozens arrested outside Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action ban Dozens of activists, including Jewish activists, and celebrities faced arrest on first-day of last ditch appeal against ban on the direct-action group (Reuters)