In a landmark legal proceeding, the UK government concluded its judicial review of Palestine Action by presenting classified evidence withheld from both the defendant’s legal team and the public. The controversial three-day review—the first ever granted to an organization proscribed as terrorist—culminated in a three-hour closed session where government lawyers submitted national security material under special procedures.
The Home Office defended its ban on Palestine Action, with lawyer Stephen Kosmin asserting the prohibition was essential ‘to protect the public’ and ‘maintain national security.’ The government outlawed the direct-action group following an incident where activists protesting the Gaza war allegedly caused £7 million in damage to military aircraft at an air force base.
Legal representatives for Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori sharply criticized the government’s tactics. Raza Husain KC revealed the ban has triggered house raids, frozen bank accounts, and protest injunctions, creating a ‘severe chilling effect’ on Palestinian activism nationwide. The European Legal Support Centre provided documentation showing hundreds of arrests related to opposition to the ban.
The case attracted international attention with UN special rapporteurs arguing the UK has become an ‘international outlier’ in its terrorism definition. Notably, Irish novelist Sally Rooney submitted a witness statement warning that the prohibition could force the withdrawal of her books from UK stores due to her support for the group, representing what she called ‘a truly extreme incursion by the state into artistic expression.’
The High Court has not indicated when a final judgment will be issued in this precedent-setting case that balances national security concerns against civil liberties and protest rights.