Twenty-five people have been arrested outside the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court in London ahead of a hearing challenging the government’s decision to ban pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.
The Metropolitan Police said the protesters were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
The arrests came as the court began hearing an appeal by Palestine Action co-founder, Huda Ammori, seeking to overturn the government’s decision to designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
The two-day hearing, scheduled to run from Wednesday to Thursday, will consider whether the government lawfully imposed the ban under the Terrorism Act.
Ammori is challenging the decision on the grounds that the Home Office failed to follow its own criteria when proscribing the organisation.
Her legal team argues that only three of the 385 actions carried out by Palestine Action over five years were assessed as meeting the legal definition of terrorism.
The government, however, is defending the ban, arguing that the group’s activities, including serious damage to property, justified its proscription.
Palestine Action was banned in July 2025, making membership of or public support for the organisation a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The group was founded in 2020 and says it seeks to disrupt companies it considers to be supplying weapons or other support to Israel.
Its activities have included targeting facilities linked to Israeli defence company Elbit Systems and damaging military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base.
In February 2026, the High Court ruled that the government’s decision to ban the group was disproportionate and unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression and assembly.
However, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision in June, ruling that the proscription was lawful.
Ammori subsequently secured permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The latest arrests follow a series of demonstrations against the ban across the UK. More than 300 people were arrested at a protest outside the United States Embassy in London on Saturday, according to police reports.
The Supreme Court is expected to reserve its judgment after the two-day hearing.
