Decision due on whether Palestine Action legal challenge can go ahead
The ban means that membership of, or support for, the direct action group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Earlier this month, lawyers for Ms Ammori asked a judge to allow her to bring a High Court challenge over the ban, describing it as an 'unlawful interference' with freedom of expression.
Mr Justice Chamberlain will give his decision on whether the legal action can proceed on Wednesday.
Raza Husain KC, for Ms Ammori, told the court at the hearing on July 21 that the ban had made the UK 'an international outlier' and was 'repugnant'.
Mr Husain added: 'The decision to proscribe Palestine Action had the hallmarks of an authoritarian and blatant abuse of power.'
The Home Office is defending the legal action.
Sir James Eadie KC, for the department, said in written submissions that by causing serious damage to property, Palestine Action was 'squarely' within part of the terrorism laws used in proscription.
He said: 'There is no credible basis on which it can be asserted that the purpose of this activity is not designed to influence the Government, or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.'
Ms Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, saying that the vandalism of the two planes, which police said caused an estimated £7 million of damage, was 'disgraceful'.
The bid for a full High Court challenge comes after Ms Ammori failed in a previous bid to temporarily block the ban coming into effect, and the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge over that decision less than two hours before the proscription came into force on July 5.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action supporters claim they are the 'moral backbone' of the UK and that hundreds of them are ready to swarm police ahead of protests this weekend
Palestine Action supporters have boasted that they are the 'moral backbone' of Britain as hundreds prepare to swarm the police this weekend. At least 500 activists are set to join a demonstration at Parliament Square this Saturday, in which they will hold signs saying 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'. It has fuelled fears of a 'mass arrest' event, with police and No 10 confirming this week that anyone who supported the newly proscribed terror group would be arrested. But yesterday Tim Crosland, co-founder of Defender Our Juries, which is organising this weekend's protest, said he was 'proud' of those who had signed up to show support for Palestine Action, calling them 'the moral backbone of this country'. He told Times Radio that arresting peaceful protesters was a waste of police time. 'I think the spectacle of police resources, a police service that's under immense pressure, that doesn't answer phone calls for burglaries, that they're dragging retired priests and teachers into police vans for holding up signs,' he said. 'It's an appalling waste of funds.' Last week, Palestine Action won permission to challenge the ban after the High Court ruled it had an arguable case. A judicial review will take place in November. Until then, the ban remains in place. It means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. But Mr Crosland also told an online press conference yesterday afternoon that there would be continued demonstrations in support of the group until the judicial review had concluded. He said he had been 'hearing from thousands of people wanting to take part in this action'. 'It feels like there's huge energy behind it,' he added. 'By November, we hope that this crazy law is struck down and we don't need to campaign against it anymore.' The Met has said the protests had 'the intention of placing a strain on the police' - something organisers have denied. But Mr Crosland claimed the police were in 'disarray' over the ban, with forces from across the country taking differing approaches to protesters, with some not taking action against peaceful demonstrations. There have already been 200 arrests at protests organised by Defend Our Juries since the ban came into force last month. However, Mr Crosland claimed no one had yet been charged, adding that there was 'a sense' that no one would be until the appeal had been heard. The former government lawyer said Defend Our Juries had received legal advice that claims against the police 'for unlawful arrest and for trespass to people's property' could be possible if the High Court rules in Palestine Action's favour. Mr Crosland said Defend Our Juries had written directly to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Met Chief Sir Mark Rowley ahead of this weekend's protests, but had yet to receive a response. However, he said the group had received a 'nice letter' from Lord Hermer last October in relation to their Free Political Prisoners campaign, in which the Attorney General said he 'would love to meet'. 'Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the right time back then, and it seems still not to be quite the right time, but he did send us a nice letter,' Mr Crosland added. Prison bosses have initiated emergency measures for a possible influx of arrested demonstrators this weekend amid concerns that some jails are close to full. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. 'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage '.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Starmer accuses Palestine Action of targeting Jewish-owned businesses
Palestine Action has targeted Jewish-owned businesses, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed. The Prime Minister made the comments at a meeting of Labour's national executive committee (NEC), saying that the now banned protest group had a history of 'targeting Jewish-owned businesses'. The comments were first reported by Ann Black, an NEC member, who said she had passed on concerns about the Government decision to proscribe Palestine Action to the Prime Minister. She added that Sir Keir insisted that the ban on the group was 'not intended to stifle debate on Palestine'. This weekend, a large-scale protest is expected to take place in London in support of Palestine Action, with police warning that anyone 'showing support' for the group faced arrest. A source told The Times that Sir Keir said at the NEC meeting: 'It's not just the RAF bases, they've planned and attacked Jewish-owned businesses.' He reportedly went on to say there were 'some incidents that were well known, and others that were not'. Earlier this week, an activist allegedly associated with Palestine Action was remanded in custody accused of vandalising two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. It is estimated that the full cost of repairing the two planes will be around £7m. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'Those who seek to support this group may not yet know the true nature of this organisation. 'But people should be under no illusion, this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group, and we're also clear that their activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across this country who continue to exercise their fundamental right to protest on different issues.' Some backbench Labour MPs openly spoke out against the Government's decision to proscribe the group under antiterrorism laws when the Home Secretary announced the move in July. Clive Lewis said that in Britain there had been a 'long history… of direct action which pushes the boundaries of our democracy'. Richard Burgon said that the move risked 'criminalising thousands of volunteers and supporters'. The Prime Minister has also been forced to defend his announcement last week of a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, unless Israel meets certain conditions.
Glasgow Times
4 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Protests against Palestine Action ban to continue ‘until November'
Defend Our Juries said more than 500 people have committed to risking arrest by holding 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' signs on Saturday afternoon in London's Parliament Square. The campaign group said the protest in the capital is the only action it is organising on Saturday, but added that there could be 'other actions in solidarity' which are independently organised. A High Court ruling, last week, decided that Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori had several 'reasonably arguable' beliefs in her challenge over the group's ban that would be heard at a three-day hearing in November, but a bid to pause the ban temporarily was refused. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Defend Our Juries spokesman Tim Crosland said: 'There will be more actions to come in September and October until the law is struck down, as we believe it will be in November at the High Court.' Mr Crosland said Defend Our Juries had received legal advice that claims against the police 'for unlawful arrest and for trespass to people's property' could be possible if the High Court rules in Palestine Action's favour. The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone found to be expressing support for Palestine Action on Saturday 'can expect to be arrested'. More than 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries. Mr Crosland said police forces were in 'disarray' over their handling of the protests, adding that no protesters had yet been charged. He added: 'Nobody has been charged, it's important to say. And there's a sense that there aren't going to be any charges until the other side of the judicial review.' Discussing the arrests, Mr Crosland said: 'In Derry, in Edinburgh, Kendal, Chichester, police have left people be – it shows they can exercise common sense if they want to. 'In London, people have been arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which is the lesser of the two possible charges, and somewhere between six and 12 hours after a police interview in the police cells, people have been arrested without charge. 'In Cardiff, people were arrested under Section 12, which is an offence punishable with 14 years' imprisonment – doing exactly the same thing, holding the same sign, quietly sitting – they were held in police custody beyond the 24-hour maximum. The time was extended under the terrorism laws while those people's houses were raided.' Palestine Action co-founder Ms Ammori said the campaign by Defend Our Juries had been 'crucial' in winning a bid to bring a High Court challenge over the group's ban. Ms Ammori told the press conference: 'It was a major factor in the judge's decision when he decided to give us permission because hundreds of people had already been arrested who will then potentially go through the criminal court system, and the judicial review will allow an authoritative decision to be made by the High Court. 'If that is successful, it would mean that the order was unlawful from the moment the decision was made to implement it, and all subsequent arrests were also unlawful.' A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality. 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. 'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
