In a dramatic turn of events, London police arrested protesters outside the High Court on Wednesday as they demonstrated against the UK government’s decision to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The protest, marked by placards reading ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,’ saw dozens gather behind the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London. The demonstration coincided with the commencement of a judicial review into the government’s controversial ban on the direct-action group. Among those detained was a pensioner affiliated with Defend Our Juries, who struggled to walk to a police van after being apprehended. Other protesters resorted to passive resistance, forcing officers to physically carry them away. Inside the court, lawyers representing Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, argued that the ban had a chilling effect, citing numerous arrests across the UK in opposition to the proscription. Raza Husain KC, representing Ammori, emphasized that Palestine Action’s tactics of civil disobedience aimed to prevent serious violations of international law by targeting premises linked to Israeli and British arms companies. Husain also noted that the government’s own security assessments found no evidence of the group advocating violence against individuals. The Home Office, represented by James Eadie KC, defended the ban as a necessary measure to disrupt the group’s activities, which include damaging property to hinder the supply chain of weapons to Israel. The trial is set to continue on Thursday, with Defend Our Juries vowing to persist in their opposition to the ban.