Legal Challenge Against the Ban on Palestine Action
The co-founder of the banned group Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, is preparing to seek permission from the High Court to contest the Home Secretary’s decision to classify the organisation as a proscribed group. This legal challenge will be presented at a hearing scheduled for Monday. The move comes after the group was implicated in an incident that led to damage to two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.
On July 4, Ms. Ammori’s attempt to temporarily halt the ban was unsuccessful, with the Court of Appeal rejecting her appeal just hours before the proscription took effect on July 5. The new legislation makes it a criminal offence to be part of or support Palestine Action, with potential penalties of up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Government has expressed opposition to allowing the legal challenge to proceed, and the case will be heard by Mr Justice Chamberlain at the Royal Courts of Justice starting at 10:30 am on Monday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the plan to ban Palestine Action on June 23, describing the vandalism of the two planes—estimated to have caused £7 million in damage—as “disgraceful.”
Four individuals have been charged in connection with the incident. They are Amy Gardiner-Gibson (29), Jony Cink (24), Daniel Jeronymides-Norie (36), and Lewis Chiaramello (22). These individuals are set to face trial in early 2027.
Since the ban became effective, numerous arrests have occurred during protests in cities such as London, Manchester, and Cardiff, including an 83-year-old reverend. At a recent hearing, Raza Husain KC, representing Ms. Ammori, argued that the proscription was an “ill-considered, discriminatory and authoritarian abuse of statutory power.” He also claimed that the Home Office had not adequately explained the national security justification for the ban.
Blinne Ni Ghralaigh KC, another representative for Ms. Ammori, warned that the consequences of the ban could be “far-reaching,” potentially leading to “irreparable harm” for many members of the public, including self-censorship.
Ben Watson KC, who represents the Home Office, suggested that Palestine Action could challenge the Home Secretary’s decision through the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC), a specialist tribunal, rather than the High Court.
Mr Justice Chamberlain noted that the decision to ban the group was made as early as March and “preceded” the incident at RAF Brize Norton. In dismissing the request for a temporary block, the judge stated that the “harm which would ensue” if the ban were not enforced was “insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.” He also remarked that some of the “consequences feared by the claimant” were “overstated.”
At a late-night Court of Appeal hearing, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Lord Justice Lewis, and Lord Justice Edis rejected the bid to overturn the High Court’s decision, concluding that there was “no real prospect of a successful appeal.”
