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Hamas urges UK court to remove terrorist group designation
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk on Wednesday submitted a formal legal application on behalf of the Palestinian group to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, calling for her to remove its designation as a terror group.
Marzouk, the head of international relations and the legal office for Hamas’s political bureau, wrote in the filing that Hamas is a “Palestinian Islamic liberation and resistance movement whose goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project”.
The more than 100-page filing – which draws on 20 scholars, including former ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice John Dugard – argues that proscribing Hamas represents a violation of the UK’s obligations under international law not to be complicit in genocide.
The filing also argues that the UK’s proscription stands in breach of the group’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly and is disproportionate.
The legal team representing Marzouk, Riverway Law, argued in its own court filing that while Hamas’s actions may fit the definition of “terrorism” under UK law, so do the Israeli military’s actions, as well as those of Ukraine’s army and the UK military.
“The client’s application situates the significance of bringing such an application in the UK due to the historic and continued role the British government has played in the dispossession of the Palestinian people,” the firm said in a post on X.
Nothing in these posts invites any individual to support, or express support for any proscribed organisation listed by the British Home Secretary under the Terrorism Act 2000. These posts are only to provide a summary of the legal application to summarise its significance.
— Riverway to the Sea (@riverwaylaw) April 9, 2025
Greenpeace members arrested after dye protest outside US embassy
A dozen activists poured 300 litres (79 gallons) of biodegradable dye into the pond outside the embassy in southwest London, using containers bearing the words “Stop Arming Israel”, Greenpeace said.
Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, the group said in a statement.
“Five people have so far been arrested nearby on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage,” the Metropolitan Police force said.
Greenpeace UK said six people had been arrested, including one of its heads, but the police did not provide the names of those detained.
“These arrests are further proof that the right to protest is under attack in the UK. This protest used biodegradable pond dye that is designed to disperse and wash away naturally,” said co-executive director Areeba Hamid.
Greenpeace is calling for the UK and US governments to impose an arms embargo on Israel, which renewed its assault on Gaza last month.
Greenpeace UK activists pour 300 litres of blood-red dye into the US Embassy pond in London
