David Blundell KC, Tim Buley KC, and Karl Laird appear in Palestine Action proscription challenge

A three-member Divisional Court, presided over by the President of the King’s Bench Division, has heard a challenge to the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under section 3 Terrorism Act 2000. The three-day hearing forms part of an ongoing, high-profile legal battle brought by the co-founder of Palestine Action.

The challenge was advanced on a number of bases, including that proscription amounts to a disproportionate interference with Article 10 and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Claimant also argued that the Home Secretary failed to take into account relevant factors when taking her decision to proscribe, breached her own policy, and should have consulted with Palestine Action before reaching the decision to proscribe.

This hearing marks the latest stage in litigation that has already produced three High Court judgments and two Court of Appeal decisions.

David Blundell KC and Karl Laird represented the Home Secretary; Tim Buley KC was the leading Special Advocate.