The cofounder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group has won her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government’s decision to ban the group under “antiterrorism” laws.
London’s High Court on Wednesday ruled that the ban could be considered to be an impingement of freedom of expression and the group should have been consulted before it went into effect.
Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
After the group broke into a military airbase in June and damaged two planes, the United Kingdom’s government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000. Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, to bring a judicial review, saying proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others’ right to freedom of expression was “reasonably arguable”.
Dozens of people have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban, and Ammori’s lawyers said people expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police.
However, Britain’s interior minister, Yvette Cooper, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protests and Palestine Action’s activities justify proscription.
Recently, the United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, raised concerns over the ban, calling it a “disturbing misuse” of “counterterrorism” laws that risks undermining fundamental freedoms.
Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 60,000 people. Along with bombardment and mass displacement, Palestinians in Gaza are facing extreme hunger and malnutrition as they endure a crippling aid blockade despite widespread calls by the international community and rights groups to open crossings into the enclave.
