Europe Asia News

London High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain on Wednesday granted Huda Ammori, co-founder of the Palestine Action group, permission to seek a judicial review and said it was "arguably reasonable" to claim that the ban disproportionately interfered with rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Wednesday that the court "has upheld the continuation of the ban on the Palestine Action group" and allowed for a new hearing under standard judicial review procedures.

In her statement, Cooper emphasized, "It is important to note that this banning decision is not about Palestine and does not affect the freedom to protest for the rights of Palestinians."

"This applies only to the specific and narrow group Palestine Action, which does not represent or reflect the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental right to protest on different issues," she added.

The UK-based group, which aims to disrupt the activities of manufacturers supplying weapons to the Israeli government, was banned earlier this month after two Palestine Action activists entered the largest air base in central England in June and damaged two military aircraft.