Dame Victoria Sharp

Dame Victoria Sharp is the president of the King's Bench Division, a senior judicial role in the UK. She is newsworthy because she led a panel of three high court judges who ruled the UK government's ban on Palestine Action, a direct action protest group, as unlawful. The ruling overturned the Home Secretary's decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, a move that had been met with widespread condemnation. The judges, led by Dame Victoria Sharp, found the ban to be unlawful. However, the Home Secretary has been granted permission to appeal this judgment, meaning the ban remains in place pending the outcome of the appeal. This case is significant because it involves the balance between national security concerns, freedom of protest, and the application of anti-terrorism legislation to activist groups.