Supreme Court hears challenge to Palestine Action ban
Britain's Supreme Court opened a two-day hearing on Wednesday, 4 Nov, into a challenge by Palestine Action to its proscription as a terrorist organisation. The group, founded in 2020, was banned in July 2025 after attacks on defence firms, including a 2024 raid on Elbit Systems that caused about £1 million in damage. Campaigners and police report more than 4,000 arrests since the ban; police detained several protesters outside the court, and 325 people were arrested outside the US embassy in London on 31 Oct. Co-founder Huda Ammori argues the ban criminalises legitimate protest.
Key facts
- Lower court ruled the ban unlawful, but five Court of Appeal judges reversed that ruling in June.
- Membership of or support for the group can be punished by up to 14 years in prison.
- Group lawyer Raza Husain told the court only three of its 385 actions over five years involved terrorism-level conduct.
- Palestine Action is the first of 98 proscribed groups banned solely for serious property damage, the court heard.
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Why it matters
The case tests whether property damage alone can justify a terrorism designation, a question with implications for protest law.
What changed
First published from Middle East Eye, Al-Monitor, The National, Al Jazeera English and The Straits Times