Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the activist group Palestine Action, has received permission to challenge the Home Office's decision to ban the organization as a terrorist entity. The Supreme Court granted Ammori the go-ahead to appeal the ban, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal in June after a High Court decision in February sought to quash it.
Ammori's legal challenge asserts that the then-Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, misapplied her own policy in proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. Permission was specifically granted for this aspect of the challenge, while a separate claim regarding interference with freedom of speech and association was refused.
The Supreme Court hearing is anticipated to take place between October 1 and December 21. The ruling comes as 77 activists were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates' Court for openly expressing support for Palestine Action. Daily court listings indicated that 1,855 individuals had been charged with carrying a placard in Parliament Square in support of the group and were summoned to appear on Thursday.
Metropolitan Police stated that expressing support for a proscribed organization is a criminal offense. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine noted that over 2,700 arrests have been made under the Terrorism Act 2000 since Palestine Action was banned. He emphasized that there are lawful ways to express views on the humanitarian situation in Gaza or Israeli military actions without engaging in criminal activity, adding that the decision of supporters to gather outside the court, where no Palestine Action-related hearings were scheduled, was nonsensical and impacted public resources.
Among those arrested were environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt. The cases of the 1,855 individuals summoned have been adjourned until October 26, pending the outcome of the appeal against the group's proscription. Protesters from the activist group Defend Our Juries attended court in solidarity with those charged.
