Scottish court to face protest over Palestine Action ban

In Scotland, from 9am on Monday, 12 January, outside Parliament House (Edinburgh), Scottish Friends of the Hunger Strikers are protesting. The organisation is asking all members of the general public and groups that stand in solidarity with the hunger strikers to join it for the hearing on a Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. This is in line with a key demand of the hunger strikers. Their demands in full are:

• The end of all censorship (end to the restrictions on communications, e.g. blocking letters, phone calls and books in prison).
• Immediate Bail (Release on bail for the remand prisoners, the right to a fair trial must include the right to prepare for it in freedom, not behind bars).
• The right to a fair trial (all relevant documents related to the hunger strikers’ cases are released in full).
• De-proscribe (lifting the ban) on Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
• Shutdown of Elbit Systems’ UK sites. The hunger strikers also demand the end of the UK Government’s contract with Elbit Systems. It has taken over £355m of public money to fund the genocide. The hunger strikers also want Elbit’s UK sites shut down.

Additional demands by the remaining hunger strikers are to transfer Heba Muraisi back to HMP Bronzefield, to end all non-association orders, and to grant access to all activities and courses.

The hunger strikes continue

To date, the following people are on hunger strike:

• Day 64: Heba Muraisi.
• Day 58: Teuta Hoxha.
• Day 57: Kamran Ahmed.
• Day 43: Lewie Chiaramello.

On 12 January the hearing is to decide whether under Scots law, a judicial review of the decision to proscribe the group Palestine Action can be pursued.

If the court agrees to a judicial review, and subsequently declares the proscription of Palestine Action unlawful, it will cease to apply in Scotland. This legal challenge is separate to the Judicial Review in England and Wales brought by Huda Ammori, one of Palestine Action’s co-founders.

If the Court of Session hears the case, and reaches a different decision, this could provoke a ‘constitutional crisis’. There is precedent in that area, for example where judicial reviews in London and Edinburgh came to opposing decisions on the legality of Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament in 2019.

De-proscribe Palestine Action

In October 2025 it was revealed that the Scottish counter-terrorism board CONTEST had reviewed the Palestine Action ban. It concluded that Palestine Action’s activities did not meet the legal threshold for terrorism before the proscription. This board includes Scottish government, police, and security services.

Scottish Friends of the Hunger Strikers said:

We must continue to fight against the ongoing genocide in Palestine and for the people who have taken direct action to prevent the flow of arms to Israel.

Come to Parliament House, Edinburgh on 12 January from 9am. Scottish Friends of the Hunger Strikers ask you to stand against genocide, to stand in solidarity with the hunger strikers, and to support the de-proscription of Palestine Action in Scotland.

Featured image via the Canary