UK Supreme Court hears challenge to Palestine Action ban

The UK Supreme Court began hearing Huda Ammori’s challenge to the government’s ban on Palestine Action on Wednesday, with arguments scheduled to continue Thursday. The case will test whether proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 is compatible with rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of expression and association. Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, argues that the ban disproportionately restricts freedom of expression and assembly. Her lawyers say officials assessed only three of the group’s 385 actions over five years as meeting the legal definition of terrorism. That figure is part of the challengers’ argument, not an independent assessment of the actions. The government maintains that Palestine Action’s escalating activities justified proscription. The Home Office has cited serious property damage and said the decision followed an evidence-based process approved by Parliament. The Supreme Court’s consideration comes after lower courts reached different conclusions about the ban. In February, the High Court ruled against the government’s decision, finding that it interfered disproportionately with freedom of...