Palestine Action ban challenge to begin at High Court

The legal challenge over the banning of Palestine Action as a terror organisation is set to take place at the High Court.

The group’s co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws.

The ban, which began on July 5, made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Ms Ammori was previously given the green light to challenge the ban, with the full hearing now due to begin on Wednesday.

Lawyers for the co-founder are set to challenge the ban on several grounds, including that it “amounts to a disproportionate interference” with her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, as well as whether there was a “duty to consult” prior to the decision.

The Home Office made a bid to overturn the decision to allow the challenge to go ahead, but this was dismissed at the Court of Appeal in October.

Appeal judges also said Ms Ammori could bring two further arguments into the challenge, over whether Ms Cooper had “regard to relevant considerations” and whether she had complied with her own policies.

The Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said on October 17: “There is much to be said for ensuring an authoritative judgment of the High Court on whether or not the order adding Palestine Action to the list of proscribed organisations is lawful.

“It is sensible for all arguable grounds to be considered as soon as possible.”

More than 2,000 people have been arrested since the ban came into effect, campaign group Defend Our Juries previously said.

The three-day hearing before Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn is due to begin at 10.30am.