Lawyers for the pro-Palestinian protest group Palestine Action appeared at the UK's High Court on Wednesday, 26th November 2025, to launch a landmark legal challenge against the government's decision to outlaw the organisation and designate it as a terrorist group.
Legal Battle Over 'Terrorist' Designation
The group is asking the court to rule that the government made a significant error by placing it on the UK's list of proscribed terrorist organisations, a list that includes groups such as al-Qaida and Hamas. Raza Husain, representing Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, argued that the ban constituted an "ill-considered, discriminatory, due process-lacking, authoritarian abuse of statutory power."
The government's decision to proscribe the group came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June. During that incident, protesters sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage using crowbars. This action was intended to protest British military support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
A History of Direct Action and National Security Concerns
Since its formation in 2020, Palestine Action has been known for its direct action protests at military and industrial sites across the UK. These have included breaking into facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK. UK officials state that the group's activities have resulted in millions of pounds in damage and have had a tangible impact on national security.
The proscription made membership in, or support for, the group a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Since the ban was enacted, more than 2,000 people have been arrested across the UK, often for holding signs at protests stating "I support Palestine Action." Of those, more than 130 individuals have been charged under the Terrorism Act.
Wider Implications for Protest and Free Speech
The case has ignited a fierce debate about the boundaries of protest and free speech in the UK. Dozens of the group's supporters gathered outside the High Court at the start of the three-day hearing on Wednesday, with several being arrested.
Supporters of Palestine Action and various civil liberties groups argue that the arrests for what they term peaceful protest are a direct assault on free speech and the right to demonstrate. During the hearing, Husain contended that "Direct action and civil disobedience are not simply to be tolerated, but valued." He described it as an "honorable tradition" in British common law and any liberal democracy.
In a striking historical comparison, he added, "The suffragettes would have been liable to proscription if the Terrorism Act 2000 regime had been in force at the turn of the 20th century." This case is set to have profound consequences for the future of protest and state power in the United Kingdom.
