Judge Grants Palestine Action urgent bid to block terror ban
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Palestine Action defends its right to protest Israeli arms firms, warning the UK’s terror ban bid criminalizes resistance and shields war profiteers.
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Palestine solidarity activists shut down the Elbit Systems office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October 2023. ( @Pal_action / X)
Palestine Action has secured an urgent High Court hearing set for Friday in a critical legal bid to stop the UK government from designating it a terrorist organisation, a move civil liberties groups warn would mark a dangerous escalation in the suppression of political dissent.
If enacted, the proposed proscription order would criminalize membership in or support for Palestine Action, carrying penalties of up to 14 years in prison. The order, announced last week by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, has drawn fierce criticism for equating a nonviolent protest movement with terrorist groups.
During an emergency hearing on Monday, the High Court ruled that co-founder Huda Ammori will be permitted to seek “interim relief” on Friday, potentially freezing the implementation of the order before it comes into effect.
Justice Chamberlain noted that if granted, the interim relief would “have the effect of suspending its [the order’s] operation,” offering a temporary shield as legal proceedings move forward.
Civil society silenced
Ammori's legal team has argued that the government acted unlawfully by failing to provide her with reasons for the proscription or an opportunity to respond before moving to curtail her civil rights. In their submission, they also criticized the government’s lopsided consultation process, which involved the Israeli government and arms manufacturers but excluded key civil society organisations such as Liberty, Amnesty International, and the European Legal Support Center.
All three have now submitted witness statements in support of Palestine Action, warning that the proposed use of anti-terror legislation amounts to an authoritarian abuse of power.
“These sweeping powers are being deployed not to prevent violence, but to suppress legitimate political protest and resistance to war profiteering,” said one legal observer.
Palestine Action, known for its bold direct actions targeting arms factories tied to "Israel", asserts that its campaign seeks to prevent complicity in war crimes and uphold international law. Among its primary targets is Elbit Systems, "Israel’s" largest weapons firm, which has faced repeated disruptions by the group’s nonviolent protests.
Criminalising Resistance
Speaking after the court decision, Ammori called the urgent hearing "a crucial recognition of what is at stake" and warned that the government’s move, if successful, would represent “the first time in British history that direct action and political protest are criminalised as terrorism.”
“This is not about public safety. This is about silencing dissent,” Ammori said. “Spraying red paint on war planes is not terrorism. Disrupting arms factories that supply a brutal occupation is not terrorism.”
The Home Office justified the proposed ban just three days after Palestine Action took responsibility for a high-profile disruption of military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, which resulted in five arrests. Cooper cited what she described as “a long history of unacceptable criminal damage” as grounds for invoking counter-terror powers, drawing criticism for conflating property damage with terrorism.
Legal experts and rights advocates warn that the government’s move could set a chilling precedent for the future of protest in the UK. The use of terrorism laws to target a nonviolent group raises grave concerns over freedom of expression and democratic accountability.
A full judicial review is scheduled for July 21, where Ammori will seek to overturn the proscription entirely. Until then, all eyes are on Friday’s emergency hearing, a pivotal moment in the battle between state power and grassroots Resistance.
