UK’s top court mulls appeal against terrorism label for Palestine Action group

LONDON — Britain’s highest court on Wednesday heard an appeal against a government ban on activist group Palestine Action, proscribed as a terrorist organization, as police moved to arrest protesters outside. The two-day hearing at the Supreme Court comes as the ban has failed to quell support for the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian group co-founded by Huda Ammori, leading to mass arrests across the UK. Multiple protesters carrying signs supporting Palestine Action — prohibited under terrorism laws — were arrested by police on Wednesday.

More than 300 supporters were detained at protests over the weekend. According to campaign group Defend Our Juries, which has organized demonstrations backing the movement, around 4,200 people have been arrested since the British government outlawed Palestine Action in July last year. Those detained include large numbers of pensioners, among them a priest, a former financial adviser, a military veteran and Swedish student climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Public support for Palestine Action is a criminal offense as the ban places the group in the same legal category as the al-Qaeda and Hezbollah terror groups. People hold placards as they gather in support of the Palestine Action anti-Israel activist group outside the Supreme Court in central London, on November 4, 2026. (Henry NICHOLLS/AFP) The ban followed a series of acts of vandalism linked to members of the movement, including causing 7 million pounds’ ($9.5 million) worth of damage to aircraft at a Royal Air Force base in June 2024 and actions targeting Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in August 2024.

During the latter incident, one of the activists struck a security officer with a sledgehammer, resulting in a fractured spine. It was imposed under the UK’s Terrorism Act and made membership of or support for the group a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Advertisement Ammori’s lawyer Raza Husain told the court that out of 385 actions undertaken by the group in the last five years, “only three passed the terrorism threshold.”

“Palestine Action falls within the tradition of a direct action protest group motivated by conscience,” Husain said. The group has “never advocated for violence against… persons,” she added. In February, London’s High Court dealt a blow to the government, ruling the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was “disproportionate.” The court found the ban had resulted in “substantial interference” with the rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June, concluding the ban was “not unlawful” and that Palestine Action was “a covert organization operating with secret cells.” Police remove a protester (C) after they gathered in support of the Palestine Action anti-Israel activist group outside the Supreme Court in central London, on November 4, 2026. (Henry NICHOLLS/AFP) The appeal ruling added that it was “a fundamental mistake to overlook the fact that Palestine Action overtly promotes unlawful violence amounting to terrorism.” ‘Direct action’ Founded in 2020, Palestine Action describes itself as “a direct action movement committed to ending global support for Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

Advertisement The organization gained prominence after the outbreak of the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Ammori was granted permission to challenge the ban at the UK’s highest court on narrow procedural grounds, arguing the Home Office failed to follow its own criteria in its decision. If unsuccessful, Ammori has indicated she will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The Home Office is set to reject the characterization of the group as “non-violent,” according to court documents. Supporters of alleged Palestine Action activists accused of breaking into Israeli-based defense firm Elbit Systems’ site in Bristol in August 2024, hold placards and wave Palestinian flags outside Woolwich Crown Court in south east London on November 17, 2025, where the activists are due to stand trial. (Ben STANSALL / AFP) Prominent Jewish groups also said in written submissions supporting the government that the Jewish community was “especially vulnerable to Palestine Action’s violent activities.”

The impact of the proscription has extended beyond the protest movement. Books by bestselling Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who announced last year that she intended to donate part of her royalty income to Palestine Action, are no longer distributed in Britain. This month, her British publisher Faber said it could no longer legally transfer UK-generated revenues to Rooney and therefore would cease distributing her books in the country. Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today, and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors. Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy; Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.

As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our outstanding DocuNation series of Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more. CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CHOOSE YOUR BOOK Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Class trip treasure US teen discovers 3,300-year-old Egyptian amulet during Israel tour 2 Trump says US to end $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by end of 2026 3 High-stakes elections El-Sayed, AIPAC, antisemitism and Israel: 5 US midterm races to watch 4 Trump said weighing whom to scapegoat for Iran war as he clashes with Netanyahu over renewed attack 5 Opposition chiefs meet, agree to launch coalition talks, but path remains unclear 6 Likud seeks to delay election certification over interference probe — and is rebuffed 7 US carries out ‘defensive’ strikes on Iran’s Qeshm island in Strait of Hormuz 8 Conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson claims Netanyahu pushing Trump to nuke Iran read more: Israel & the Region Palestine Action Elbit Systems European Court of Human Rights 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war British government terrorism If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community.

JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: example@domain.com Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong.

Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at .

It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: example@domain.com JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community!

We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.