The UK Supreme Court granted Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori permission on July 29 to pursue a limited appeal against the government's decision to ban the group under terrorism law. The court allowed one proposed ground and refused the other, leaving the proscription in force while the case continues.

The Supreme Court said the appeal will address whether the UK home secretary lawfully applied the government's proscription policy when using section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Lord Sales, Lord Leggatt and Lady Simler ordered an expedited hearing during the court's Michaelmas term in late 2026, but the case page does not give a specific date.

The appeal is narrower than the earlier court fight

Ammori challenged both the home secretary's application of the policy and the ban's effect on freedoms of expression and assembly under articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Supreme Court's public case page identifies the policy issue as the subject of the appeal but does not publish the parties' numbered grounds in full. Its decision says only that Ground 1 was granted and Ground 2 refused.

The appeal follows conflicting rulings from two lower courts. The Divisional Court ordered the proscription decision and its implementing order quashed in February 2026 after finding for Ammori on the policy and human-rights grounds. The court stayed that order pending the government's appeal, so the ban did not lapse.

A five-judge UK Court of Appeal panel reversed both findings on June 15 and held that the ban was lawful. The panel found that the home secretary could consider the operational advantages of proscription and that the restriction on individual rights was justified and proportionate in light of the assessed risks.

The ban carries criminal consequences

The UK government added Palestine Action to the statutory list of proscribed organizations after members entered Royal Air Force Brize Norton on June 20, 2025, and sprayed paint on two military aircraft. Both houses of the UK Parliament approved the implementing order, which took effect on July 5, 2025.

The UK Home Office says membership of a proscribed organization, inviting support for it and displaying supportive items in specified circumstances can constitute offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000. The government's list describes Palestine Action as a pro-Palestinian group founded in 2020 that uses direct criminal action to oppose the sale and export of military equipment to Israel.

The legal classification does not prohibit support for Palestinians or opposition to Israel's conduct in Gaza. In its June ruling, the Court of Appeal said peaceful demonstrations for those causes could continue, while acknowledging that some people might avoid lawful expression for fear that police would construe it as support for Palestine Action.

Arrests have made the court dispute immediate

Associated Press reported that police arrested 77 people outside Westminster Magistrates' Court on July 30, most on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organization. The demonstration took place one day after the Supreme Court's permission decision. Court officials told AP that criminal cases involving alleged breaches of the ban had been put on hold until the Supreme Court rules.

The July arrests followed a much larger enforcement wave during the ban's first six months. UK Home Office statistics recorded 2,779 terrorism-related arrests linked to suspected support for Palestine Action between July 5 and December 31, 2025. As of February 2, 2026, 412 had resulted in charges, while 2,326 people had been bailed to return or released under investigation.

Those figures describe arrests and recorded outcomes, not convictions. The Home Office cautioned that the information was not captured as a standard field at the time of arrest and could contain recording inconsistencies. Later arrests, including those in 2026, fall outside that statistical period.

The Supreme Court will review the policy question

The Supreme Court's eventual judgment could uphold the ban or find a legal flaw in the way the home secretary reached the decision. Permission to appeal does not indicate how the justices will rule, and the ban remains enforceable unless a court changes its status.

The case will focus on the limits of the home secretary's statutory discretion and the government's own proscription policy. The broader proportionality ruling on expression and assembly is part of the case history, but the Supreme Court refused permission on one of Ammori's two proposed grounds.

Frequently asked questions

Has the Supreme Court overturned the Palestine Action ban?
No. It has granted permission for one ground of appeal to be heard. The proscription remains in force.

When will the appeal be heard?
The court ordered an expedited hearing during the Michaelmas term of 2026. Its public case page did not list an exact date at the time of writing.

What did the lower courts decide?
The Divisional Court ruled the decision unlawful in February 2026, but stayed its quashing order. The Court of Appeal reversed that judgment on June 15 and upheld the ban.