Scottish protesters test Palestine Action ban in rights challenge
Supporters arrested over signs and T-shirts say the UK ban on Palestine Action has criminalised peaceful protest in Scotland.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Two Palestine Action supporters in Scotland are preparing to challenge their arrests under terrorism laws, arguing that police action against protest signs breached rights to expression and assembly. The case matters because campaigners say prosecutions tied to the UK ban on Palestine Action have chilled pro-Palestinian protest across Scotland.
Cathy Allen, 70, was arrested after holding a placard in Edinburgh on July 19 that said she opposed genocide and supported Palestine Action, Al Jazeera reported. The protest was organised by Defend Our Juries, which has led civil disobedience against the British government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action.
Allen and fellow sign-holder Justin Kenrick are due to argue in Scotland’s High Court that their arrests were incompatible with protected freedoms, according to Al Jazeera. Supporters hope a ruling in their favour would shape later cases in Scotland and influence challenges in England and Wales.
Charges tied to the ban
Figures obtained by investigative outlet The Detail show 103 reports of terrorism charges linked to Palestine Action in Scotland. That is more than half of the 193 terrorism charges lodged in Scotland since the Terrorism Act came into force in 2000, according to the outlet.
The figures did not state how those cases ended. Catherine Smith KC, the advocate general for Scotland, has said 54 prosecutions connected to Palestine Action are live, Al Jazeera reported.
Defend Our Juries says 24 people face charges for holding signs similar to Allen’s. The group says another 16 people face similar allegations over T-shirts bearing a message about genocide in Palestine and taking action.
Across the UK, more than 3,300 people have been arrested while opposing the July 2025 ban on Palestine Action, according to Al Jazeera. More than 1,200 have been charged with terrorism-related offences, a response that legal experts and rights groups cited by Al Jazeera have described as excessive.
Police Scotland told Al Jazeera that, because courts have kept the proscription order in force, the force will continue to enforce the law proportionately. Only one person in Scotland has reported having terrorism charges dropped, according to Al Jazeera.
London ruling still unresolved
Palestine Action is also contesting the ban in London. Co-founder Huda Ammori appealed after the proscription, and the High Court ruled in February that the ban was unlawful, Al Jazeera reported.
The UK government is challenging that decision in the Court of Appeal, with a ruling expected Monday. The ban remains in effect until the appeal process ends.
A separate Scottish judicial review, brought by former diplomat Craig Murray, was allowed to proceed in January and had an initial hearing scheduled for March. Al Jazeera reported that the case was paused in May until Ammori’s case is resolved, after a UK government minister appeared in person to make the government’s argument.
Joanna Cherry KC, who represents Murray, described the effect of the ban as “chilling” and said it failed to balance counterterrorism aims with free expression, according to Al Jazeera.
Protests continue in Scotland
Scottish pro-Palestinian activists have continued demonstrations against arms companies. Al Jazeera reported that protesters have targeted Keysight Technologies, said to supply a drone factory owned by Elbit Systems, and a Leonardo factory in Edinburgh.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade says the Leonardo site makes laser targeting systems for F-35 aircraft used by Israel to drop 2,000-pound bombs. Defend Our Juries has urged the Scottish government to oppose the use of counterterrorism laws against peaceful protesters, citing Holyrood votes recognising genocide and supporting a boycott of Israel.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.