UK courts reject late bid to halt Palestine Action terror list ban
The High Court in London has rejected an attempt to temporarily halt the UK government's move to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, following an appeal by the group's co-founder.
Lawyers representing Huda Ammori, co-founder of the pro-Palestinian direct action group, appeared before the court on Friday to challenge the order by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe the group under terrorism laws.
But after the hearing, judge Mr Justice Chamberlain said: "I have concluded that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order of force.
“In reaching this decision, I have borne in mind my assessment of the merits of the claim at this early stage.”
The court's decision was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in a judgment issued less than two hours before the order banning the group was due to take effect at midnight local time on Saturday.
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In her judgment, the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, said: “In conclusion we have found no arguable error of law in the judgement nor have we found any arguable basis for a finding that his decision was not one that was open to him on the facts and the evidence.
"For these reasons we have concluded that there is no real prospect of a successful appeal and no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard."
A further hearing is scheduled for 21 July, when the group is expected to apply for a judicial review to overturn the ban.
Palestine Action, known for targeting companies involved in the Israeli arms trade, has denied any links to terrorism and described the government's move as politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Friday, after the courts had ruled in favour of the government, Palestine Action said: "We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received over the past few years, and the outpouring of solidarity since the intention to proscribe us was announced."
It said it supported a campaign of civil disobedience, but it called for those taking part to do so on an informed basis, and said it would take down its social media pages out of concern that people liking or sharing its content "could be committing a terrorism offence".
During the hearing, lawyers for Ammori criticised the government's assessment, highlighting that plans to proscribe the group had been in place as early as March, well before last month’s incident claimed by the group at RAF Brize Norton, where two military planes were sprayed with red paint.
"Why move to proscribe before then? They put their bodies on the line between the genocide and violations of international law and the munitions and aeroplanes," said Blinne Nessa Aine Ni Ghralaigh, one of Ammori’s legal representatives.
"The context for why the Home Secretary has proscribed Palestine Action is materially relevant - and that is the situation in Gaza. It is an annihilation, it is a genocide, according to rights groups, leading academics, scholars, and many states, including Ireland."
Aine Ni Ghralaigh added that the proscription could cause “irreparable harm” to individuals and civil society groups, warning that vague and ambiguous language in the order could lead to widespread self-censorship and a broader chilling effect on protest and free expression.
Friday’s hearing aimed to both pause the implementation of the ban and determine whether Palestine Action can mount a full legal challenge against the proscription order.
The government's order to proscribe the group followed votes in Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday in which majorities of MPs and members of the House of Lords voted in favour of the ban.
Alongside Palestine Action, the proscription order also included the Maniacs Murder Cult, a neo-Nazi group, and the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist organisation.
The move came after Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last month using electric scooters and sprayed two RAF planes with red paint. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the act as “disgraceful”, while the Ministry of Defence claimed the activists caused £7 million in damages.
Following the parliamentary vote, Palestine Action criticised the Home Secretary for "bundling our domestic civil disobedience protest group in with two violent neo-Nazi militias".
"Many MPs told us that, as a consequence, they felt they did not have the option to vote against the measure," the group said in a statement.
Ten Labour MPs, including Liverpool MP Richard Burgon, voted against the government. Burgon warned that the ban risked “criminalising thousands of volunteers and supporters”.
United Nations special rapporteurs also earlier this week said they had contacted the British government to tell it that “acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism.”
Outside the High Court on Friday, hundreds gathered to protest against the government's designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
The court proceedings came a day after four activists linked to the RAF Brize Norton protest were denied bail at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The defendants - Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29; Jony Cink, 24; Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35; and Lewie Chiaramello, 22 - were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to national safety.
District judge Daniel Steinberg denied bail over concerns that the four might commit further offences if released. They are due to appear at the Central Criminal Court on 18 July for a plea hearing.
During Thursday's bail hearing, several supporters were ejected from the courtroom after chanting “Free, free Palestine” as proceedings concluded.
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