London police make arrests outside court hearing Palestine Action ban appeal

Dozens of activists, including Jewish activists and celebrities, were arrested outside the Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action's ban, according to Reuters.

Lawyers representing Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, argued during the first day of the two-day Supreme Court hearing that the direct-action group has never advocated for violence against individuals. Raza Husain KC, representing Ammori, stated that less than one percent of the group's protests met the legal definition of terrorism.

Husain emphasized that it is the substance of the group's actions, not the label, that matters. He noted that Palestine Action's tactics are similar to those used by other activist groups, such as the Suffragettes, anti-war groups, environmental groups, and animal rights protesters, who also employed tactics that were more extreme than Palestine Action but were not regarded as terrorism.

Husain pointed out that the Suffragettes, despite using tactics like arson and bomb attacks in their campaign for women's right to vote, are now widely celebrated. He argued that the group's past actions do not align with a terrorist designation and should be reconsidered.