Palestine Action’s co-founder has won a legal challenge over the group’s ban as a terrorist organisation on two grounds.However, it will remain outlawed for now as the home secretary has said the government will take the case to the Court of Appeal.
Huda Ammori launched the challenge after former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group, which came into force in July last year.It put Palestine Action on the same footing as ISIS and al Qaeda, making membership or support for the group a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.Even wearing a T-shirt or carrying a sign with the group’s name on it can carry a six-month sentence.
At a three-day High Court hearing, Ms Ammori’s lawyers said the ban was unprecedented and compared Palestine Action to the suffragettes.The Home Office said the ban struck a “fair balance between interference with the rights of the individuals affected and the interests of the community”.
The Defend Our Juries campaign group, which organises protests against the ban, said 2,787 people had been arrested since it came into force.Raza Husain KC, representing Ms Ammori, said “priests, teachers, pensioners, retired British Army officers” and an “81-year-old former magistrate” were among them.
Normal People author Sally Rooney also provided written evidence supporting the challenge.The writer said she might not be able to publish new books in the UK after being warned she risked committing a terror offence after saying she would donate earnings to the group.Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, said the ban had not stopped people protesting against Israel’s actions in Gaza or in support of Palestinians.He added: “While it has at all times been open to supporters of Palestine Action to protest against its proscription without breaking the law, certain individuals have instead repeatedly sought to flout Palestine Action’s proscription.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Jattvibe app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
