
UK ban on Palestine Action is an abuse of power, high court told
Raza Husain KC, appearing for Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the group said Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group on 5 July was 'repugnant' and an 'authoritarian and blatant abuse of power'.
In written submissions for Monday's high court hearing, Husain and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC said: 'On 'nature and scale', the home secretary accepts that only three of Palestine Action's at least 385 actions would meet the statutory definition of terrorism (… itself a dubious assessment).'
Husain said it was for the court to consider 'whether that's sufficient or whether it's de minimis (too small to be meaningful) for a group that's been going for five years'.
He added that the vast majority of the group's actions were assessed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre to be lawful.
Challenging the ban on the grounds that it contravened freedom of expression and assembly under the European convention on human rights, Ní Ghrálaigh said the proscription had already had a significant impact. 'Dozens and dozens of people have been arrested for protesting, seated and mostly silent protest,' she added.
Among the cases she highlighted were protesters near the BAE Systems factory in Samlesbury, Lancashire, who were stopped by police who asked them to remove shirts reading 'Free Palestine' because they might have breached the proscription order.
She said a man in Leeds was arrested for carrying a placard reproducing a graphic from Private Eye magazine, which said: 'Unacceptable Palestine Action: Spraying military planes. Acceptable Palestine Action: Shooting Palestinians queueing for food'.
Ní Ghrálaigh said Merseyside police had bailed someone on condition they did not 'mention' Palestine.
She highlighted the case of Laura Murton, first reported by the Guardian, who was threatened with arrest by armed police for supporting a proscribed organisation because she was holding a Palestinian flag and had signs saying 'Free Gaza' and 'Israel is committing genocide'.
Mr Justice Chamberlain said in response: 'This is obviously an officer that doesn't understand the law at all.'
Ní Ghrálaigh pointed out that Kent police had not apologised.
Ammori's lawyers said the timing of the ban indicated that 'national security risk was not a material factor' and was secondary to 'political considerations'.
Although a review body recommended banning Palestine Action on 13 March, Husain and Ní Ghrálaigh said Foreign Office memos had advised 'against moving to implement a decision to proscribe quickly'. This was because proscription might be received poorly domestically and abroad if implemented shortly after Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza.
Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, accepted it was true that most of Palestine Action's activities were not terrorism but said: 'The incidents are serious and they're escalating.'
He focused almost exclusively on process, telling the court in written submissions: 'Parliament has prescribed the alternative and appropriate remedy namely an appeal to POAC (Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission) as the appropriate mechanism for challenging proscription; POAC's procedures are better suited to such a challenge; and there is no good reason for going behind that process in the present case.'
Chamberlain said he would give his decision on 30 July on whether to grant Ammori permission for a judicial review.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
The government must ensure the promise of free childcare is delivered
Takeup of the government's offer of free childcare has been one-quarter higher than predicted, which has prompted some voices in the sector to warn of its imminent 'collapse', because it is unclear how the planned expansion of the scheme in September will be funded. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, in an exclusive interview with The Independent, says the unexpectedly high numbers signing up for the scheme is a 'good problem to have'. There is no doubt that there is a problem, however. The higher takeup meant that the Department for Education spent £2bn on the scheme in the last financial year, covering most of the first year of the Labour government, rather than the planned £1.6bn. That gap was covered by additional funding announced in the spending review in March, but as we report today, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that the gap will continue to widen as the scheme expands. The next expansion will happen in September, when working parents with children aged nine months and older will be offered 30 hours a week of 'free' childcare. Of course, the care is not 'free' in that it has to be paid for by taxpayers generally – on the grounds that helping the parents of young children to work is a public good. As Ms Phillipson puts it: 'If people are able to work, or work a few more hours, that helps us all as a society as well and it gets economic growth going.' The funding of the scheme will continue to be under pressure, but the most important fact about the scheme so far is that it has not collapsed. The Independent was among those voices warning that it had been underfunded by the Conservative government, but to its credit the new government has increased the money available. The finances of the scheme may be stretched, and many childcare providers continue to say that they cannot recruit enough staff at the wages they can afford, but the gloomier warnings of chaos and thousands of parents left without places have not yet been borne out. It is crucial to remain vigilant as the scheme expands so that remains the case. At the insistence of Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor in the previous government, the scheme was designed to start small, with a limited offer of free hours to older children, before expanding gradually to provide full coverage. This September's expansion is the final stage of that planned rollout, which so far has gone more smoothly than we expected. If the last stage is a stretch too far and some parents cannot immediately find the places they want, that would be a blow to the government's ambitions. Ms Phillipson is right that the problem facing the scheme in its final phase is the problem of success. The higher-than-expected demand means additional pressure on the public finances in the later years of this parliament – pressure that coincides with other increased demands on Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, from slow growth, higher interest rates and a government U-turn on disability benefits spending. Providing greater access to free childcare is a good policy that will help working families. Its success and ambition should be applauded. The government must now make sure that its expansion is a success.


Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
EU chief von der Leyen heads to Scotland for trade talks with Trump
BRUSSELS/EDINBURGH, July 26 (Reuters) - EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen headed to Scotland on Saturday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon, commission spokespeople said, as EU officials said the two sides were nearing a trade agreement. Trump, in Scotland for a few days of golfing and bilateral meetings, told reporters upon his arrival on Friday evening that he was looking forward to meeting with von der Leyen, calling her a "highly respected" leader. He repeated his view that there was a 50-50 chance that the U.S. and the 27-member European Union could reach a framework trade pact, adding that Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly". If it happened, he said it would be the biggest trade agreement reached yet by his administration, surpassing the $550 billion accord agreed with Japan earlier this week. The White House has released no details about the planned meeting or the terms of the emerging agreement. The European Commission on Thursday said a negotiated trade solution with the United States was within reach, even as EU members voted to approve counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods in case the talks collapse. To get a deal, Trump said the EU would have to "buy down" that tariff rate, although he gave no specifics. EU diplomats say a possible deal between Washington and Brussels would likely include a broad 15% tariff on EU goods imported into the U.S., mirroring the U.S.-Japan deal, along with a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminum. The broad tariff rate would be half the 30% duties that Trump has threatened to slap on EU goods from August 1. It remains unclear if Washington will agree to exempt the EU from sectoral tariffs on automobiles, pharmaceuticals and other goods that have already been announced or are pending. Combining goods, services and investment, the EU and the United States are each other's largest trading partners by far. The American Chamber of Commerce in Brussels warned in March that any conflict jeopardized $9.5 trillion of business in the world's most important commercial relationship.


The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Sick moment Brit tourist is kicked in head ‘by gang trying to steal his phone' as cops arrest five 17-year-old boys
THIS is the sick moment a Brit tourist was kicked in the head by a gang of teenagers during a horror robbery in Portugal. The Brit, 18, was left bloodied and unconscious during the assault after the yobs allegedly tried to steal his phone and cash before fleeing the scene. 4 4 4 Footage filmed by the violent attackers shows the victim lying defenceless on the ground after being attacked. Portuguese police revealed today that the 18-year-old Brit had been robbed and hospitalised. The group is said to have stolen the victim's phone, worth around €600 (£525) Cops said five of the attackers - all aged 17 - have been arrested. Another four were identified by police. The violent crime occurred at the party resort of Albufeira. Two of the teenage suspects were filmed kicking their victim in the footage posted online. CCTV footage in the area where the assault took place is understood to have been key to the identification of those responsible. The unnamed victim is now back in the UK. Confirming the arrests, a spokesman for the GNR police force said: "The Faro Territorial Command arrested five 17-year-old men for robbery in the municipality of Albufeira. Shocking moment Brit influencer HSTikkyTokky batters reveller as massive brawl erupts in Magaluf "Following an investigation into a robbery involving violent assaults on an 18-year-old man, which took place on 17 July in the town of Albufeira. "The military police carried out police investigations that enabled them to identify and locate the suspects. 'During the police investigation, the GNR intercepted the five suspects and arrested them, also seizing five mobile phones. 'The detainees were due to appear on July 24 at the Portimao Judicial Court.' The teenagers, who live in Quarteira near Albufeira, are suspected of a number of other violent assaults on other young tourists. An active police investigation is ongoing. Local reports said they filmed the attacks and posted the footage on social media to brag about what they had done. Albufeira has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following the deaths of two British tourists in quick succession. On June 4, tragic Scots tourist Greg Monks was found dead near Albufeira after going missing a week earlier in the resort. The 38-year-old plant mechanic from Glasgow is believed to have lost his life after jumping over a wall and falling down a steep hillside during a night out with his stag do friends. Around four hours before Greg's body was found by police, another young Brit tourist was found dead behind a steep drop at the back of a residential block by Albufeira's Old Town. The 21-year-old is said to have gone out drinking with pals and is thought to have become disoriented as he tried to get back to his hotel. News of his death only emerged three days after Greg was found dead. 4