Palestine Action's ban as 'terror group' goes to Supreme Court as 77 arrested in London

Palestine Action's ban as 'terror group' goes to Supreme Court as 77 arrested in London Palestine Action’s legal challenge against the ban on the organisation as a terror group will now go to the Supreme Court Palestine Action’s co-founder can take her case to the Supreme Court after Court of Appeal judges ruled the group’s ban was lawful. The update in the legal challenge came after police arrested 77 people at a protest outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London for expressing support for the protest group. In June, five Court of Appeal judges said the ban on the organisation as a terror group was a “justified and proportionate” interference on freedom of expression rights. This overturned the judgment of three judges at the High Court who ruled in February that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to ban Palestine Action was unlawful, after a legal challenge from the group’s co-founder Huda Ammori. After the judgment, Ms Ammori said she intended to take the case to the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. She launched her bid to take the case to the UK’s highest court earlier this month and in a decision published on Thursday, Lord Sales, Lord Leggatt and Lady Simler granted permission for her appeal. The case is to be expedited, court records show, with a hearing expected between October and December. Justices granted the green light to challenge the ban on the basis that Ms Cooper had incorrectly applied her own policy, but refused a bid to challenge the decision based on interference with freedom of speech and freedom of association rights. After the decision, Ms Ammori referenced the arrests and said: “This 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. “This unprecedented attack on free speech and the right to protest in this country is already having a chilling effect at a time when speaking out about Israel’s crimes could not be more urgent.” Hundreds gathered outside the magistrates’ court where more than 2,000 cases related to supporting the group had been due to be heard on Thursday. But their cases had been adjourned to October, earlier this week. Protesters shouting “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” were detained by police, while demonstrators shouted “shame on you” and “under what power?”. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Officers have arrested 77 people. The majority of arrests have been for expressing support for a proscribed organisation. “Four people have been arrested for encouraging or assisting a criminal offence. Police officers remain at the scene and continue to make arrests.” Court officials confirmed that all cases relating to Palestine Action have been adjourned until October 26, to await the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal over the proscription of the group as a terrorism organisation. This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.