London Police Arrest 77 at Palestine Action Protest Rally

Political and Legal Background

Palestine Action was founded in 2020 by Huda Ammori and was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Home Secretary in 2025. The legal battle over that designation has since moved through multiple courts. In February, the High Court ruled that the ban unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression. That decision was overturned in June when a lower court found the government's ban lawful, citing the group's support for violence.

The political landscape has also shifted. During Keir Starmer's tenure, Israel's assault on Gaza was not treated as a government priority, and his administration faced accusations of complicity. Burnham, who took office earlier this month, has attempted to reframe Labour's foreign policy, conceding before taking office that his party "didn't get it right" on Gaza and saying he was sorry. Rights groups have dismissed the apology as meaningless without concrete action, particularly after Burnham granted the United States permission to use UK military bases for strikes against Iran, a conflict that began on February 28 and which several legal experts have described as illegal.

Reactions and Supreme Court Appeal

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, the party's first Jewish leader, called on Burnham to reverse the proscription, stating it is within the prime minister's power "to scrap this proscription and end these dystopian scenes for good." Polanski has previously accused the right-wing press of erasing his religious identity because of his support for Palestine and opposition to Israel's military campaign.

Defend Our Juries highlighted the severity of the law by describing an elderly woman in a wheelchair being escorted away by police, facing up to 14 years in prison for stating she supported Palestine Action and encouraging others to join. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court confirmed on Wednesday that Ammori has been granted permission to appeal the June ruling upholding the ban. She said in a statement: "We will continue to fight this proscription all the way to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn what has become one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history."

What Comes Next

The hearings against individuals charged with supporting Palestine Action are now underway at Westminster Magistrates' Court, with thousands more cases expected to follow. No timeline has been set for the Supreme Court appeal, and it remains unclear whether the government will reconsider the proscription in light of mounting political pressure and legal challenges.