UK to appeal High Court ruling that granted Palestine Action a victory

The Home Office is challenging top judges who ruled that the proscription of the group as a terrorist organisation was unlawful.Protesters hold signs to demand the lifting of the ban on Palestine Action, in London, United Kingdom, April 11, 2026 [Jack Taylor/Reuters]Published On 28 Apr 2026|Updated: 7 hours agoLondon, United Kingdom – The United Kingdom is appealing the High Court’s landmark ruling that the government’s ban on Palestine Action was illegal.The two-day hearing, which begins on Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in London, comes after top judges described the proscription of the direct-action group as a terrorist organisation as “disproportionate” in February.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Predators’: Amnesty slams Netanyahu, Putin, Trump, as human rights declinelist 2 of 4UK rights groups slam ‘authoritarian’ conviction of pro-Palestine activistslist 3 of 4Sally Rooney, Greta Thunberg back Palestine Action before appeal caselist 4 of 4Activists accused of raiding Israeli weapons factory face trial in Germanyend of listThis week’s case marks the latest development in the legal battle between the state and the activist network whose stated mission is to target companies associated with the Israeli military.Since the UK banned Palestine Action last July, thousands of Britons have participated in a coordinated campaign of civil disobedience, with more than 2,700 people arrested under terror laws for holding up signs reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”Although the government’s case suffered a blow at the High Court, the proscription remained in place amid the appeals process – and it is still illegal to show support for the group.The fate of those arrested remains uncertain.London’s Metropolitan Police announced that it was unlikely to arrest supporters in the aftermath of the High Court ruling, but reversed that policy weeks later.Earlier this month, more than 200 protesters were arrested in central London and last week, celebrities and scholars, including the novelist Sally Rooney, climate activist Greta Thunberg and Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, signed a seven-word letter in which they declared support for Palestine Action – a move that also risks arrests.“We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action,” it reads.The letter, which has since been signed by more than 1,000 people, including teachers, academics, reverends and many retirees, will be delivered to the court on Tuesday by the political philosopher and professor Peter Hallward.At a rally outside the court on Tuesday, Jo Ripley, who had travelled to London from Wiltshire, told Al Jazeera that she was protesting out of “anger”.The government’s appeal against a High Court ruling reveals a “chilling effect” on “democracy, she said.Palestine Action was founded in 2020 by Huda Ammori, a Briton of Palestinian and Iraqi descent and former Extinction Rebellion activist Richard Barnard.The ban fostered a “climate of fear at precisely the moment when speaking out against Israel’s unrelenting crimes against humanity has been most urgent”, Ammori said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera. “I hope the Court of Appeal will uphold the High Court’s ruling and bring this dystopian abuse of power to an end.”Several remand prisoners, including those who engaged in a lengthy hunger strike demanding an end to the Palestine Action ban and activists on bail, have said that their human rights have been violated because of their alleged association with the group, a claim denied by the Ministry of Justice.Rights groups condemned the UK’s ban on the group as an unprecedented overreach and urged the government not to appeal.In its annual report, Amnesty International said the UK “continued to use counterterror laws to restrict peaceful protests against the genocide in Gaza and ban the organisation Palestine Action [as] arms exports to Israel continued.”Proscribing the group put it on par with armed groups such as ISIL and al-Qaeda.Last month, Human Rights Watch wrote, “When the state blurs the line between activism and terrorism, it is not defending security, it is undermining freedom.”It is unclear when the Court of Appeal might hand down its judgment.The Home Office said, “There are many lawful ways to support the Palestinian cause without being a member or supporter of this harmful organisation.”