UK judge 'respected for fairness' removed from Palestine Action case

UK authorities have unexpectedly removed a judge widely known for his "fairness and independence" from presiding over a legal challenge against the government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action.

Judge Martin Chamberlain had initially granted permission for the judicial review and was expected to preside over the trial. However, it has now emerged that a panel of three different judges will hear the case instead.

The case, which seeks to overturn the designation of the pro-Palestine organization as a “terrorist” entity, is set to begin on Wednesday at London’s High Court.

Such a last-minute replacement is highly unusual and has raised concerns among legal experts and activists in the UK. 

A spokesman for Defend Our Juries, which has organized demonstrations against the proscription of Palestine Action, described Chamberlain as “widely respected for his fairness and independence,” the Guardian reported. 

Chamberlain, said the spokesman, “had been consistently confirmed as the judge presiding over this judicial review – in court documents, correspondence, and in related criminal hearings involving peaceful protesters arrested for holding signs.”

Tayab Ali, a partner at the law firm Bindmans, expressed concern over the “sudden and unexplained shift from the single judge,” calling on the court to provide “a clear and credible explanation for such a change.”

Emily Apple of Campaign Against the Arms Trade said the judge's replacement “raises serious questions about impartiality and transparency in our judicial system, particularly in cases concerning Palestine.”

Chamberlain had also been replaced earlier this year in a case that challenged the UK’s sale of F-35 aircraft parts to Israel.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, will bring the case before the High Court after the Court of Appeal last month ruled there were reasonable grounds to argue that the ban interferes with rights to freedom of speech and protest.

If successful, the decision could lift the ban and end the ongoing campaign of arrests and prosecutions against the pro-Palestine group activists.

10-week criminal trial begins for Palestine Action activists in UK

One year into their remand, the first criminal court hearing of 24 activists, now known as the Filton 24, takes place following their entering Elbit Systems’ weapons factory in August 2024, dismantling drones used by Israel against Palestinians.

Being a member of or showing support for the group is currently a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The Palestine Action judicial review follows months of civil disobedience by the group, which has opposed UK military support for Israel.

More than 2,000 people have been arrested since the organization was banned in July under the "Terrorism Act," mostly for holding signs reading, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

In recent months, thousands of protesters, international law experts, and human rights organizations have called on the UK government to end its complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

According to Ammori, banning Palestine Action “was not done to protect the public; it was done to crush dissent and defend the Israeli weapons industry.”

Cage International, a London-based human rights organization said in a report on Tuesday that the UK government continues to support Israel’s war crimes in Gaza through military, trade, and diplomatic ties.

The report said that Palestine Action sparked a wave of civil disobedience between 2020 and 2025, leading to “a significant shift in the landscape of activism in the UK.”

The human rights group stated these actions led to the temporary shutdown of facilities linked to the production or supply of weapons used by Israel’s military in Gaza, including Elbit Systems’ site in Bristol, which was the target of numerous protests by Palestine Action, including just days before the group was banned.

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