UK Supreme Court to hear appeal against ban on Palestine Action group

Published on 4 November 2026 - 5:57 GMT+1 The British government will defend its decision to ban Palestine Action at the UK Supreme Court, as co-founder Huda Ammori filed an appeal against the designation of the group as a terrorist organisation. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The two-day hearing, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, comes as the group's prohibition has failed to quell support for the pro-Palestinian group, leading to mass arrests across the UK. According to campaign group Defend Our Juries, which has organised demonstrations backing the movement, around 4,200 people have been arrested since the British government outlawed Palestine Action in July last year. In the latest protests, more than 300 supporters were arrested on Saturday by London police for displaying placards bearing the now-prohibited slogan: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." Those detained include large numbers of pensioners, among them a priest, a former financial adviser, a military veteran and Swedish student climate activist Greta Thunberg. Public expressions of support for Palestine Action have become a criminal offence under the UK' Terrorism Act punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The ban places the group in the same legal category as the Islamist Al-Qaeda organisation and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah. It followed a series of acts of vandalism linked to the movement, including a trail of damage at a Royal Air Force base and actions targeting Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in August 2024. Founded in 2020, Palestine Action describes itself as "a direct action movement committed to ending global support for Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime". Ammori has now been granted permission to challenge the ban at the UK's highest court on a narrow procedural ground, arguing the Home Office failed to follow its own criteria in its decision. Ammori will argue that "only three of the 385 actions undertaken by PA over five years were assessed as meeting the definition of terrorism", according to court documents. In February, London's High Court dealt a blow to the government, ruling the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was "disproportionate". The court found the ban had resulted in "substantial interference" with the rights of freedom of expression and assembly. However, the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June, concluding the ban was "not unlawful" and that Palestine Action was "a covert organisation operating with secret cells". If unsuccessful, Ammori has already indicated she will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).