UK: Dozens arrested outside Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action ban - Middle East Eye
Lawyers representing the co-founder of Palestine Action have argued that the direct-action group has never advocated for violence against individuals, as the campaign to overturn its designation as a terrorist organisation by the UK government reached the Supreme Court.
Speaking on the first day of the two-day hearing, Raza Husain KC, representing Huda Ammori, opened proceedings and said that less than one percent of the group’s protests met the legal definition of terrorism.
"It’s not the label that's important – it’s the substance. Palestine Action has never advocated violence against individuals and follow a similar vein to the Suffragettes who were not peaceful... are part of the tradition [and] proven right by history and venerated.
“The uncontroverted evidence shows moreover that [the] Suffragettes, anti-war groups, environmental groups, animal rights protesters all used tactics similar to or more extreme than Palestine Action, yet they were not regarded as terrorists or proscribed,” said Husain.
The barrister noted that the Suffragettes are now widely celebrated despite using tactics like arson and bomb attacks in the cause of campaigning for the right to vote for women.
Ammori’s legal team also emphasised that the ban on Palestine Action had impacted the group’s right to freedom of speech and protest, noting that it created a “chilling effect” on British society.
“Filton marked a watershed moment - [the activists] were arrested as terrorists and treated as such,” said Husain.
“That came as a shock to the movement.”
The Supreme Court hearing comes after judges granted an appeal following the government's successful proscription under anti-terrorism laws.
It marks the group's final attempt to appeal the ban after going through several courts to reach this stage.
Outside the court, dozens of activists risked arrest for holding signs that quoted posts from Sarah Helm, former journalist and wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, who caused an uproar after publicly criticising the ban on Palestine Action.
Last month, Helm posted “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action” after books by Irish author Sally Rooney were withdrawn from sale in the UK because of her support for the group.
Protesters customised the signs by swapping out “authors” for descriptors that reflected their personal identities or professions, including “Jew”, “physiotherapists”, “son of a Holocaust survivor”, “gardeners” or “normal people”.
Among the 25 people arrested by the police for holding the placards were actor Alfie Enoch, who starred in the Harry Potter movies, and Massive Attack musician Robert Del Naja.
