UK court says proscribing Palestine Action as ‘terrorist’ group was lawful

Britain’s Court of Appeal has ruled that the government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organisation was lawful, overturning a decision by a lower court.The ruling on Monday came after the government lodged an appeal challenging a High Court ruling in February that banning the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 was unlawful and disproportionate.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Report warns pro-Palestine protesters face legal crackdown: What to knowlist 2 of 3Pro-Palestinian badges should not be worn by NHS staff, UK review suggestslist 3 of 3UK court jails Palestine Action activists on ‘terrorism’ chargesend of list“We concluded that the proscription decision struck a fair balance,” Chief Justice Sue Carr said in her remarks announcing the decision. “We therefore allowed the home secretary’s appeal against the decision of the Divisional Court.”Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, said she would “fight proscription all the way” to the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights to overturn “one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history”.More than 3,000 arrests linked to support for Palestine Action have been made since the ban was imposed in July 2025.In her ruling, Carr said Palestine Action’s conduct was not that of a non-violent, direct-action group.Lawyers representing Britain’s interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, argued during an April hearing that claims the ban would significantly curtail freedom of expression were “overstated and incorrect”.Carr acknowledged that while the government’s ban was “highly controversial”, and that the group was “was supported by many otherwise law-abiding citizens”, it was a “fundamental mistake ‌to ‌overlook the fact that Palestine Action overtly promoted unlawful violence amounting to terrorism”.