Palestine Action can challenge anti-terrorism ban: UK judge
London
The cofounder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group has won her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government's decision to ban the group under 'antiterrorism' laws.
London's High Court on Wednesday ruled that the ban could be considered to be an impingement of freedom of expression and the group should have been consulted before it went into effect.
Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain's government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza. After the group broke into a military airbase in June and damaged two planes, the United Kingdom's government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000. Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, to bring a judicial review, saying proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others' right to freedom of expression was 'reasonably arguable'.
Dozens of people have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban, and Ammori's lawyers said people expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police. However, Britain's interior minister, Yvette Cooper, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protests and Palestine Action's activities justify proscription.
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