Andy Rain / EPA
Protest in favor of the Palestine Action group, in London
The controversial ban, which was criticized by many human rights groups as an attack on freedom of expression, led to more than 2,700 people being detained for holding signs.
The co-founder of the Palestine Action group won a historic Supreme Court case against the government’s decision to ban the protest group under anti-terrorism laws, marking the first time that a proscribed organization has managed to reverse such a decision.
Huda Ammori filed the lawsuit against the Ministry of Interior after the group was formally banned on July 5th last year. The ban made membership in the organization or public support for it a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The measure placed the direct action network in the same legal category as extremist organizations, including the Islamic State.
The ban provoked widespread criticism and an ongoing campaign of civil disobedience. According to campaign group Defend Our Juries, more than 2700 people were detained Since the order came into force, the majority have carried signs with the message “I am against genocide, I support Palestine Action”. More than 500 were charged under Article 13 of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which provides for a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
In a ruling handed down on Friday, three judges led by Dame Victoria Sharp, president of the King’s Bench Division, considered the decision illegal to ban the group. However, the court ordered the ban to remain temporarily in effect to allow the government to appeal.
The judges upheld the appeal on two of four grounds, concluding that the ban represented a “very significant interference” on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, cites the The judges further state that the then Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, acted inconsistently with her own department’s policy in imposing the ban.
In his ruling, Sharp described the group as an organization that “advances its political cause through criminality and the encouragement of criminality,” but stated that the level and persistence of the activity does not meet the legal definition of terrorism and general criminal law remains available to deal with acts involving material damage.
Ammori called the decision a “monumental victory”, arguing that the ban had been imposed due to property damage related to protests against Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, and not for violence against individuals.
The current Interior Minister, Shabana Mahmood, said she was “disappointed” and confirmed that the government will appeal the decision.
