Pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action has moved the London High Court to challenge the UK government’s recent decision to ban the organization under anti-terrorism laws. The group’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, filed an urgent request to pause the ban, calling it an abuse of power.
The UK government recently classified Palestine Action as a terrorist group, citing incidents where its activists broke into a military base and damaged two aircraft. However, critics argue that these actions fall under civil disobedience and should not be treated as terrorism. They warn this sets a dangerous precedent for protest groups.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, has regularly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain with property damage as a form of protest. The government’s move would put the group in the same legal category as extremist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda. Supporting or being a member of the group would now be a criminal offense.
Representing Ammori, lawyer Raza Husain told the court that this is the first time a non-violent civil disobedience group is being classified as a terrorist organization in UK history. He stressed that the group does not promote or commit acts of violence against individuals.
Husain called the decision “an ill-considered, discriminatory, authoritarian abuse of statutory power” and said it violates the principles of common law. The legal team has requested that the court pause the implementation of the ban until a full hearing is held later this month.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted outside Downing Street, where supporters of Palestine Action are waving flags and demanding the reversal of the ban. The case has sparked a wider debate on the balance between national security and the right to protest in the UK.