Supreme Court Takes Up Palestine Action Ban in Test of Protest Rights

Huda Ammori will argue the proscription is disproportionate to free speech, after the High Court struck it down and the Court of Appeal restored it

The UK Supreme Court has granted permission for Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the government’s ban on the group.

The court said the appeal may proceed, with a hearing expected in the final quarter of 2026. “We will be arguing in the Supreme Court that the ban is unlawful, as it is disproportionate to free speech and the right to protest,” Ammori wrote on X. “The fight continues.”

The ban and its consequences

The case concerns the government’s decision last July to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act. The group was banned after members entered a Royal Air Force base and spray-painted two aircraft, causing what police put at £7 million ($9.4 million) in damage.

Since the proscription, hundreds of pro-Palestine activists have been arrested across the country, with authorities applying terrorism legislation to those accused of supporting or demonstrating in favour of the group. The Defend Our Juries campaign said 70 people had been arrested under terrorism laws outside Westminster Magistrates Court.

Courts divided

The appeal follows a series of conflicting judgments. In February, the High Court ruled that designating Palestine Action a terrorist organisation was disproportionate and unlawful. That decision was overturned last month by the Court of Appeal, leaving the ban in force.

Human rights organisations and UN experts have criticised the government’s handling of pro-Palestine protest, warning that the crackdown risks undermining freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. They have urged ministers to reverse the ban, arguing that restrictions on protest must meet international human rights standards.

Reference: Al-Mayadeen