The two-day hearing at the Supreme Court in London began on Wednesday. Huda Ammori, cofounder of Palestine Action, said ahead of the hearing that she would argue the ban is having a disproportionate effect on freedom of speech and the right to protest.<\/p>\n
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The direct action group was proscribed<\/a> by the UK government under then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July last year. The decision has since been denounced by rights groups, including Amnesty International and Liberty.<\/p>\n Palestine Action describes itself as a \u201cdirect action movement committed to ending global participation in Israel\u2019s genocidal and apartheid regime\u201d. Its designation as a \u201cterrorist\u201d organisation puts it on the same list as armed groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Those found guilty of belonging to or supporting Palestine Action could face up to 14 years in prison.<\/p>\n As the hearing got under way, protesters gathered outside the court. Some expressed support for Palestine Action, while others opposed the group\u2019s proscription, which many view as an affront to civil liberties. One demonstrator held a placard reading: \u201cGod help us Jews who support Palestine and Palestine Action\u201d.<\/p>\n About 25 protesters were arrested, according to the Press Association; the final person detained carried a sign saying: \u201cGod help us who are not married to the UK\u2019s national security adviser who support Palestine and Palestine action.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s understood that this is in reference to journalist and author Sarah Helm, who is married to the UK prime minister\u2019s national security adviser, and who had earlier posted<\/a> a similar line on X but did not face prosecution.<\/p>\n \u2018Dangerous and disproportionate\u2019<\/p>\n In a statement issued after the first day of the hearing, Ammori said that \u201coverwhelming evidence\u201d given to the court by United Nations experts, Amnesty International, Liberty and the former director of MI6 showed that the \u201cdangerous and disproportionate proscription\u201d had criminalised legitimate protest as \u201cterrorism\u201d for the \u201cfirst time in British history\u201d.<\/p>\n She said the government\u2019s submissions were \u201cparticularly lacklustre\u201d.<\/p>\n Ammori said the government was \u201cclearly struggling with the consequences of this ban\u201d.<\/p>\n Ammori said Palestine Action \u201chas never advocated violence against any person\u201d, and that it used tactics including \u201cgraffiti, petty vandalism, occupation and lock-ons\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/getty_6aeb5806ce-1793808390.jpg\")
Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court on November 4, 2026 in London, England, the United Kingdom, as Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has launched a final appeal to the UK Supreme Court, challenging the government\u2019s ban of the pro-Palestinian direct-action group [Alishia Abodunde\/Getty]<\/p>\n