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Supreme Court greenlights appeal
The UK Supreme Court granted permission for Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling upholding the group’s ban, with the case to be heard in the final quarter of 2026.
“The Metropolitan Police force said 117 people had been arrested”
Outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London, police arrested dozens of people on Thursday after protesters shouted “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” while onlookers shouted “Shame!”
The Metropolitan Police said 117 people had been arrested, most for “expressing support for a proscribed organization,” as the government’s Terrorism Act ban makes membership in or support for Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The arrests came as the Supreme Court said Ammori could take the case to the country’s top judges, and court officials said all cases of people charged with breaching the ban were put on hold until the Supreme Court rules.
Human Rights Watch acting U.K. director Thomas Bell said, “Using counterterror powers to suppress dissent goes against democratic values and harms freedom of expression and assembly in this country,” as the legal fight moved to the highest court.
Arrests, chants, and adjournments
Police detained protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court after the demonstration drew hundreds of supporters, with protesters chanting “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” and demonstrators shouting “shame on you” and “under what power?”.
The Jewish Chronicle reported that after the Supreme Court permission decision, Ammori said: “The Supreme Court’s decision to grant permission to appeal comes as hundreds more ordinary people are arrested today under terror laws simply for saying that they oppose genocide and support Palestine Action,” linking the arrests to what she described as a broader crackdown.
Court officials confirmed that all cases relating to Palestine Action were adjourned until October 26 to await the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal, and the Metropolitan Police said “Officers have arrested 77 people.”
The Independent said the ban began on 5 July last year and made membership of, or support for, Palestine Action a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, while also noting that “Some 77 people were arrested at the protest in central London on Thursday.”
The Independent added that hundreds gathered outside the magistrates’ court where more than 2,000 cases related to supporting the group had been due to be heard, but their cases had been adjourned to October to await the Supreme Court appeal.
What’s at stake next
The Supreme Court permission decision means the fate of more than 3,500 people arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action remains in limbo, because their cases are on hold until the legality of proscription is resolved.
“The fate of more than 3,500 people who have been arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action”
The Guardian said the Supreme Court’s ruling leaves the ban in place while it reviews whether the proscription represents a disproportionate interference with articles 10 and 11 of the European convention on human rights, which protect freedom of speech and protest.
Ammori welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision and said, “The proscription of Palestine Action has become a vehicle for a far broader crackdown on expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” framing the arrests and the legal process as part of a wider restriction on protest.
The Independent reported that Ammori said Thursday’s arrests “further evidences our case that the proscription of Palestine Action has become a vehicle for a far broader crackdown on expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” and she said the fight would continue “all the way to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights.”
The Guardian also reported that as the Supreme Court’s decision was published, “dozens more people were arrested for allegedly supporting, being a member of and/or encouraging others to join Palestine Action,” underscoring the immediate legal risk for supporters as the appeal proceeds.
