Appeal Judges Say Government Ban Was Lawful
Britain’s Court of Appeal has upheld the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action under terrorism laws.
The ruling was issued on Monday by five senior judges in London.
The court said the ban was lawful and proportionate because the group had supported unlawful violence.
Palestine Action was proscribed last year after repeatedly targeting Israel-linked defence firms in Britain.
The group had focused heavily on Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence company.
Earlier, London’s High Court ruled that the ban unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression.
However, the group remained banned while the government challenged that decision.
The Court of Appeal has now overturned the lower court’s ruling.
Judges Reject Free Speech Argument
Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, had argued that the ban placed severe restrictions on free speech and peaceful assembly.
She said many people supporting the Palestinian cause had been affected by the decision.
But the appeal judges rejected the argument.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said it was wrong to compare Palestine Action with historic protest movements such as the suffragettes or campaigns against apartheid and the Iraq war.
She said the group was not simply a civil disobedience movement.
According to the ruling, Palestine Action operated covertly and avoided detection while using violence to destroy property and cause injury.
The judges said the group’s actions went beyond lawful protest.
Ammori said she would challenge the decision in the UK Supreme Court.
She called the ruling a serious attack on free speech and the right to protest.
Protests Continue Outside Court
Supporters of Palestine Action gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice after the ruling.
Some demonstrators held banners and placards opposing the government’s decision.
Police detained several protesters during the demonstration.
UK Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood welcomed the ruling and said it did not stop lawful support for Palestinians.
She said there was a clear difference between supporting Palestine and supporting a banned organisation.
Palestine Action was banned after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June and damaged two military planes.
The ban places the group in the same legal category as other proscribed organisations.
Membership is now a criminal offence that can carry up to 14 years in prison.
Since the ban, more than 2,700 people have reportedly been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action.
The ruling comes days after four people were jailed over criminal damage linked to a 2024 raid on an Elbit factory in southern England.
One defendant was also convicted of hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer.
The court decision is expected to intensify debate over protest rights, national security and the limits of direct action in Britain.
