Supreme Court Palestine Action appeal begins: Amnesty International UK and Liberty granted permission to intervene

The Supreme Court hearing of the appeal concerning the lawfulness of the decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation begins on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Amnesty International UK (represented by Deighton Pierce Glynn) and Liberty have been granted permission to intervene jointly in the appeal.

The appeal, R (on the application of Ammori) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (UKSC/2026/0099), concerns the Home Secretary’s June 2025 decision to proscribe the direct-action protest group under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

In February 2026, the Divisional Court held that the proscription decision was unlawful, finding that the Home Secretary had failed to comply with her own policy and that proscription was a disproportionate interference with the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association protected by Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court of Appeal subsequently allowed the Home Secretary’s appeal in Secretary of State for the Home Department v R (Ammori) [2026] EWCA Civ 721, holding that the decision was lawful and proportionate.

The Supreme Court has granted Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, permission to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s judgment, and on 4-5 November 2026 will hear arguments in the appeal.

Home Office figures indicate that as of 30 June 2026 3,630 people had been arrested for offences linked to supporting Palestine Action since the group was proscribed, resulting in 632 charges.

Amnesty International UK and Liberty previously intervened jointly in the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal. Their written submissions to the Supreme Court argue that meeting the statutory criteria for proscription is not enough: the Home Secretary (and now the court) must also assess whether its consequences are proportionate. They submit that proscription prevents even lawful protest before it occurs, has a chilling effect on campaigning and public debate, and seriously interferes with the distinct right to freedom of association. They invite the Supreme Court to allow Huda Ammori’s appeal because the proscription decision disproportionately interferes with Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The two-day hearing can be watched here.

Amnesty International UK are represented by Daniel Carey, Emily Soothill, Gus Silverman, and Isabelle Xora Asghar-Williams, instructing (with Liberty) Tom Hickman KC of Blackstone Chambers and Jessica Jones and Rosalind Comyn of Matrix Chambers.