Palestine Action lawyer says group has not condemned policewoman's attack during Supreme Court hearing

Palestine Action’s barrister, Raza Hussain KC, told the Supreme Court that the group has not condemned the sledgehammer attack that fractured Sgt Kate Evans’s spine. He said the matter is "sub judice" and therefore cannot be commented on publicly.

Hussain repeated that the attack "has not been condemned" and described the ruling on the case as "the subject of challenge". He added that due-process considerations prevent the group from making a formal statement.

The hearing concerns the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The ban was upheld by the Court of Appeal after an earlier High Court ruling found it unlawful.

In related proceedings, Samuel Corner, a member of Palestine Action, received a seven-year-eight-month sentence for grievous bodily harm after a 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol. Three other members were also sentenced for criminal damage.

Representing co-founder Huda Ammori, Hussain argues that the proscription was unlawful, noting that only three of the group’s 385 recorded actions over five years met the legal definition of terrorism.

The Community Security Trust and the Jewish Leadership Council, represented by Adam Wagner KC, warned that lifting the ban could embolden violent anti-Semitism. In contrast, Rachel Scott KC for the Jewish Bloc described claims of targeting the Jewish community as "a fundamental fallacy".

At the close of the public hearing, the justices indicated they would reserve their decision pending further private arguments.