Palestine Action supporters protest outside US embassy in London

Demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Nine Elms, London, on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with Palestine Action. The protest coincided with a similar vigil held at the US Consulate in Edinburgh.

The demonstrations precede a significant legal challenge scheduled for November 4, when the Supreme Court will hear an appeal against Palestine Action's designation as a terror group. The group was proscribed by the UK Government in June 2025.

Background to the designation

The decision to ban Palestine Action followed a legal challenge initiated by the group's co-founder, Huda Ammori. Initially, three High Court judges ruled in February that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban the group was unlawful. However, this judgment was overturned in June by five Court of Appeal judges. They concluded that the ban constituted a justified and proportionate interference with freedom of expression rights.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries Scotland, which organised the Edinburgh demonstration, stated their intention was to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and oppose what they described as an "absurd ban". The spokesperson added that they would "continue to defy this ban, and we will not be silenced" and that pressure would be mounted from "all angles" while legal proceedings were ongoing.

Expressing support for a proscribed group is an offence under the Terrorism Act. The UK Government has been approached for comment.