UK Supreme Court holds hearing on Palestine Action ban; people arrested outside
By Vera, Vocemundi ·
By Vera, Vocemundi · 2026-11-04
The UK Supreme Court is the venue for a hearing on the ban on Palestine Action. People were arrested outside the court in connection with the hearing, according to both Al Jazeera and Anadolu.
Al Jazeera reports that the appeal hearing began in London on Wednesday and is scheduled to last two days.
According to Al Jazeera, the UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July last year, under then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The designation places the group on the same list as armed groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). People found guilty of belonging to or supporting it risk up to 14 years in prison, Al Jazeera reports.
The arrests
About 25 protesters were arrested, according to the Press Association, as cited by Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera reports that some protesters expressed support for Palestine Action, while others opposed its proscription.
The final person detained, who is not named, carried a sign reading: "God help us who are not married to the UK’s national security adviser who support Palestine and Palestine action."
Al Jazeera wrote that this is understood to refer to journalist and author Sarah Helm, who is married to the Prime Minister's national security adviser. It reports that Helm earlier posted a similar line on X and did not face prosecution. The reports do not explain why, and they do not include a response from her.
What each side says
Huda Ammori, cofounder of Palestine Action, said ahead of the hearing that she would argue the ban is having a disproportionate effect on freedom of speech and the right to protest, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera reports that Amnesty International and Liberty have denounced the proscription. In a statement quoted by Al Jazeera, Tom Southerden, Amnesty's UK Law and Human Rights Director, referred to the "Government’s grave misuse of terrorism powers". He said the arrests show "how dangerously vague our terrorism laws are".
The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include the UK government's arguments in the appeal or its response to the rights groups' criticism.
What is not clear
The reports do not describe any police statement or official arrest figure. Anadolu's headline says "dozens" were arrested, without giving a number, and places the arrests ahead of the hearing. Al Jazeera describes them alongside its start, without giving a precise sequence. Only Anadolu's headline was available for review.
The reports do not state the legal basis for the arrests, whether anyone has been charged, or when the court is expected to rule.
Analysis
The hearing brings attention to how UK terrorism law applies to protest and speech, at least as Ammori frames the case. A ruling for the government would likely leave the ban and its penalties in place. A ruling against it could raise questions about the ban's future and about how related arrests are handled. However, the reports do not describe the full legal questions before the court, so any outcome could be narrower. The government's arguments are also absent from the reports reviewed, which limits any assessment of the case's strength on either side.
Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.
This story was originally published by Vocemundi and is republished under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license. How we verified this story.
Originally published by Vocemundi Wire — English