A protester outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. PA
A protester outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. PA
A protester outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. PA
A protester outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. PA

Palestine Action fails in court bid to stop terrorist ban


Tariq Tahir
  • English
  • Arabic

Palestine Action has failed to halt its proscription as a terrorist organisation after mounting a legal challenge against the move.

Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, brought the legal challenge against the Home Office over Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban the group under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The motion became law after midnight after it was signed off by Ms Cooper on Friday. Membership or support for the direct action group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The judge dismissed the request for an injunction ruling there was a strong public interest in bringing the order into force. A later higher court hearing was held after Ms Ammori lodged an appeal over the dismissal under the Lady Chief Justice. That challenge was also lost in a late-night ruling.

Protesters react outside the High Court after Palestine Action failed to stop a ban under terrorism laws. Leon Neal / Getty Images
Protesters react outside the High Court after Palestine Action failed to stop a ban under terrorism laws. Leon Neal / Getty Images

The move to proscribe Palestine Action was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20 in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Police said it caused around £7 million worth of damage. The group claimed the aircraft were involved in supporting Israel in its military action in Gaza via the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Footage of Palestine Action breaking into RAF Brize Norton and attacking an aircraft. Photo: Palestine Action / X
Footage of Palestine Action breaking into RAF Brize Norton and attacking an aircraft. Photo: Palestine Action / X

At the hearing at the High Court in London on Friday, Mr Justice Chamberlain was asked to grant “interim relief” to Ms Ammori, which would have temporarily blocked the legislation from coming into effect. Raza Husain KC, representing Ms Ammori, told the court the move was “ill-considered” and an “authoritarian abuse” of power.

Mr Husain said: “This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists.” He said Ms Ammori “was inspired by the long tradition of direct action in this country” and wished to take action “to prevent harm before it happens”.

The group had “never encouraged harm to any person at all” and that its goal “is to put ourselves in the way of the military machine”. But Mr Justice Chamberlain asked him: “What was the point of that if not to influence the UK government?”

The judge added that the action “was designed to influence the British government, to stop doing what the claimant thinks they’re doing from Akrotiri”. He said that an assessment on whether to ban Palestine Action under terrorist laws had been made as early as March, and “preceded” the incident at RAF Brize Norton.

Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told the High Court that Palestine Action could challenge the Home Secretary’s decision at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, a specialist tribunal, rather than at the High Court. “The serious issue to be tried is met in full by the adequate alternative remedy that parliament has provided,” he said.

Four people – Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22 – have been charged in connection with the incident.

They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday after being charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977. They were remanded into custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on July 18.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East said on Wednesday that a 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released on bail until September 19, and a 23-year-old man who was arrested has been released without charge.

While you're here
THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Oppenheimer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Nolan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Blunt%2C%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr%2C%20Florence%20Pugh%2C%20Matt%20Damon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

While you're here
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

STAGE 4 RESULTS

1 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 4:51:51

2 David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma

3 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 

4 Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

5 Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo

General Classification

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 12:50:21

2 Adam Yates (GBR) Teamn Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:43

3 Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:03

4 Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:43

5 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

Apple's%20Lockdown%20Mode%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3EAt%20launch%2C%20Lockdown%20Mode%20will%20include%20the%20following%20protections%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMessages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Most%20attachment%20types%20other%20than%20images%20are%20blocked.%20Some%20features%2C%20like%20link%20previews%2C%20are%20disabled%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWeb%20browsing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Certain%20complex%20web%20technologies%2C%20like%20just-in-time%20JavaScript%20compilation%2C%20are%20disabled%20unless%20the%20user%20excludes%20a%20trusted%20site%20from%20Lockdown%20Mode%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20services%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIncoming%20invitations%20and%20service%20requests%2C%20including%20FaceTime%20calls%2C%20are%20blocked%20if%20the%20user%20has%20not%20previously%20sent%20the%20initiator%20a%20call%20or%20request%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wired%20connections%20with%20a%20computer%20or%20accessory%20are%20blocked%20when%20an%20iPhone%20is%20locked%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConfigurations%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Configuration%20profiles%20cannot%20be%20installed%2C%20and%20the%20device%20cannot%20enroll%20into%20mobile%20device%20management%20while%20Lockdown%20Mode%20is%20on%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESteven%20Knight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMark%20Ruffalo%2C%20Hugh%20Laurie%2C%20Aria%20Mia%20Loberti%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ALL THE RESULTS

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.

Catch 74kg

Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.

Strawweight (Female)

Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.

Lightweight

Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.

THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi

Favourite TV show: That 70s Show

Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving

Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can

Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home

Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.

 

 

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Updated: July 05, 2025, 1:19 PM`