The anti-Israel group Palestine Action has won permission to appeal the UK government’s decision to label it a terrorist organization. The Supreme Court accepted one of two grounds of appeal proposed by co-founder Huda Ammori, though its public notice provided no clarity on which arguments were approved. A hearing is now scheduled for the Michaelmas term, which begins in October.
This development follows a June ruling by the Court of Appeal that upheld the government’s designation of Palestine Action. The three-judge panel concluded that the group promoted unlawful violence and encouraged activists to destroy property. They cited three incidents involving serious property damage, which they said met the definition of terrorism under UK law.
Legal battle over free expression
Ammori described the ban as an attack on free expression and protest rights. Palestine Action has repeatedly targeted British facilities linked to Israeli defense company Elbit Systems, and its activists have attacked financial institutions they accuse of supporting Israel. The group claims Britain is an active participant in the Gaza conflict and has described its actions as direct protest.
Even wearing clothing or carrying items suggesting support for such a group carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a £5,000 fine. Proscription puts Palestine Action in the same legal category as groups such as Hamas, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State.
Public response and arrests
The Supreme Court’s announcement came as 25 people appeared in court in connection with alleged support for Palestine Action. Police arrested 117 demonstrators at a protest in Westminster, most on suspicion of expressing support for a banned organization. Protesters chanted, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” despite warnings from authorities. Some 117 protesters were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, with the Metropolitan Police saying the majority of arrests were for expressing support for the group. Scores of protesters had turned up there because they had expected to appear in court accused of allegedly showing support for the group at earlier public events. However, those cases had been listed in error. Many of the defendants said that they felt they had no choice but to turn up, despite the court and Metropolitan Police telling them not to do so.
More than 3,000 people have been arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action since its ban took effect in July 2025, and over 1,200 have been charged under the Terrorism Act. Separately, more than 2,000 people are facing potential trial for protesting against the ban by declaring their support for a proscribed terrorism group in mass demonstrations.
Escalation of a broader conflict
The group was proscribed following a series of attacks on British military and corporate assets. In 2025, activists broke into Royal Air Force Brize Norton and damaged two military aircraft. The government described this as part of an escalating campaign of violence and intimidation, though it had already determined that earlier attacks by the group met the statutory definition of terrorism. The decision comes weeks after the end of the first major trial of members of the group which had caused more than £1m of damage to a defence firm near Bristol with an Israeli parent company. Four members of that break-in team were jailed, with one also sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm on a police officer who was hit with a sledgehammer.
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action has become a focal point in the wider conflict over the rights of free speech and protest. Its legal battle reflects deeper tensions about how British counterterrorism laws are applied to groups that operate in the civil-disobedience space but may also engage in property damage and public disruption.