Palestine Action wins Supreme Court appeal permission as 77 arrested

Three senior justices of the Supreme Court have given Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori permission to challenge the government's terror designation of the direct-action group. The decision coincides with a mass police operation outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court that resulted in 77 arrests for expressing solidarity with the proscribed organisation.

The legal battle follows a series of conflicting judgments across the judicial system. Then-home secretary Yvette Cooper initially banned Palestine Action in July 2025 under terrorism laws, following a protest at RAF Brize Norton where members broke in and vandalised jets to protest the war in Gaza. That proscription made membership or support punishable by up to 14 years in prison. High Court judges subsequently ruled the ban unlawful in February, finding that only a small number of the group's activities amounted to terrorism. However, a five-judge panel at the Court of Appeal reversed that decision in June, declaring the ban a justified and proportionate interference with individual rights while Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr described the group as overtly promoting unlawful violence amounting to terrorism.

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Following the Court of Appeal ruling, Ms Ammori launched a bid to take the case to the UK's highest court earlier this month. Lord Sales, Lord Leggatt and Lady Simler granted permission for the appeal in a decision published on Thursday, according to court records. Justices granted the green light to challenge the ban on the basis that Ms Cooper had incorrectly applied her own policy, though they refused a bid to challenge the decision based on interference with freedom of speech and freedom of association rights.

Outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police warned demonstrators that expressing support for Palestine Action is a terrorism offence. Officers detained 77 people during the demonstration in central London. According to a police 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."

Demonstrators at the scene shouted I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action alongside cries of shame on you and under what power?.

The protests coincided with scheduled hearings for more than 2,000 cases related to supporting the group. Those cases were adjourned earlier in the week to October to await the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal. The sudden postponements left defendants who had travelled from regions including Yorkshire, Wales and Merseyside reporting chaos after arriving without notice of the cancellations. Court officials confirmed that the courts service now faces a bill running to thousands of pounds to compensate defendants who travelled unnecessarily.

Responding to the developments, Ms Ammori criticized the arrests. She stated:

"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."

She also described the situation as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history and added that the ban is already having a chilling effect.

What happens next

Court records indicate that the Supreme Court appeal is to be expedited, with a hearing expected between October and December. In addition to the Supreme Court proceedings, Ms Ammori has stated an intention to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary to overturn the ban.