Latest news with #RazaHusain
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK ban on Palestine Action is an abuse of power, high court told
An intelligence assessment before Palestine Action was banned under antiterrorism laws found that the vast majority of its activities were lawful, a court has heard. 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.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Palestine Action's co-founder asks UK court to overturn terror group ban
LONDON: The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group sought on Monday to challenge the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, a move her lawyers said had 'the hallmarks of an authoritarian and blatant abuse of power.' Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, is asking London's High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group's proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism. Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori's application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action's proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5. Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said Palestine Action is the first direct action group to be banned as a terror group, a move he argued was inconsistent with 'the honorable history of civil disobedience on conscientious grounds in our country.' Dozens have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban and Ammori's lawyers say protesters expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police officers. Britain's interior minister Yvette Cooper, however, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities – including breaking into a military base and damaging two planes – justify proscription. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. The group accuses the British government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in its ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Palestine Action's co-founder asks UK court to overturn terror group ban
LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group sought on Monday to challenge the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, a move her lawyers said had "the hallmarks of an authoritarian and blatant abuse of power". Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, is asking London's High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group's proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism. Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori's application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action's proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5. Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said Palestine Action is the first direct action group to be banned as a terror group, a move he argued was inconsistent with "the honourable history of civil disobedience on conscientious grounds in our country". Dozens have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban and Ammori's lawyers say protesters expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police officers. Britain's interior minister Yvette Cooper, however, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities – including breaking into a military base and damaging two planes – justify proscription. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. The group accuses the British government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in its ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Russia Today
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Dozens arrested after UK brands Palestine Action a ‘terror group' (VIDEOS)
More than 70 people were arrested across the UK on Saturday on suspicion of supporting the activist group Palestine Action, which was recently designated a terrorist organization. The Metropolitan Police said 41 people were arrested in London, where protesters gathered in Parliament Square to demonstrate against Israel's war in Gaza. Some held signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Arrests were also made in Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds. It has been illegal to be a member of Palestine Action or to show support for the group since Saturday, when the new designation came into effect. British police forcibly remove and disperse anti-genocide protesters in Manchester. On Friday, the High Court rejected an attempt by the group's co-founder, Huda Ammori, to suspend the ban. Ammori's lawyer, Raza Husain, called the decision 'an ill-considered, discriminatory and authoritarian abuse of statutory power.' HAPPENING NOW: Elderly man arrested by police for holding sign which read "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action"46 arrested in total in London, more arrests happening now in Manchester and Cardiff Parliament voted to crack down on the pro-Palestinian group after its activists broke into the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton in central England in June and sprayed red paint on two military planes used for refueling and transport. The activists claimed at the time that the aircraft supported surveillance flights 'in support of Israel's genocide in Gaza.' More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military operation in response to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as ‘terrorist' group
Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action has lost a bid to pause the British government's decision to ban the organisation under 'anti-terrorism' laws pending their legal challenge. Huda Ammori, who co-founded the group in 2020, had asked London's High Court to stop the proscription of Palestine Action as a 'terrorist' organisation, before a full hearing of her case that banning the group is unlawful later this month. On Friday, the High Court refused to pause the ban and, following a late-night hearing, the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal against that decision at just after 2130 GMT. This means the proscription of Palestine Action is upheld and will come into force at midnight. The proscription came after British lawmakers this week decided to ban Palestine Action after its activists broke into a military base last month and sprayed red paint on two planes in protest at the UK's support for Israel's war on Gaza. Proscription would make it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Proscribed groups under British law include ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said the proscription marked the first time the UK had sought to ban a group carrying out such direct action, describing it as 'an ill-considered, discriminatory, authoritarian abuse of statutory power'. Protesters gathered outside the UK's Royal Court of Justice during Friday's ruling. Police swarmed the crowd, but Palestine Action said that its protests will not stop. After the parliamentary vote against the organisation on Wednesday, critics decried the chilling effect of the ban, which puts the non-violent campaigners on a par with armed groups like ISIL and al-Qaeda. 'Let us be clear: to equate a spray can of paint with a suicide bomb isn't just absurd, it is grotesque. It is a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity, and suppress the truth,' said independent British lawmaker Zarah Sultana. Brendon Ciaran Browne, associate professor at Trinity College Dublin, told Al Jazeera the UK government's decision is 'absolutely absurd'. 'Essentially, what we're witnessing here, is an attempt to enforce a chill effect on everyone who is absolutely abhorred by the UK government's complicity [in Israel's war on Gaza] and their flagrant breaches of international law that we have seen now for the best part of 21 months,' he said on Friday. Referring to Palestine Action's stunt at a British military base, Browne noted that the UK government has existing legislation to deal with this. 'Those who are allegedly involved can be charged with criminal damage. There are other ways to do this. But what you're seeing here is the UK government again using the terrorism act to target those who are engaged in direct action … This is a draconian, silly move by the UK government,' he added. Palestine Action describes itself as 'a pro-Palestinian organisation which disrupts the arms industry in the United Kingdom with direct action'. It says it is 'committed to ending global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime'. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the UK's interior minister, has said that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest, and her lawyers say the case should be brought at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission instead. Rights groups have accused Israel of repeatedly committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023. Since then, at least 57,268 Palestinians have been killed and 135,625 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
