UK Appeals Court Ruling Over Palestine Action Ban
London– The British government on Tuesday asked London’s High Court to overturn a February ruling that lifted its ban on pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action, arguing judges had overstated the impact of the prohibition on free speech and failed to give sufficient weight to national security concerns.
The Home Office is appealing against the High Court’s earlier decision that the 2025 ban on Palestine Action was disproportionate to the threat posed by the group and should be revoked. The government had outlawed the organization days after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in southern England and caused millions of pounds of damage to two military aircraft during protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Under the ban introduced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, Palestine Action was added to a proscribed list that includes Hamas and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, making membership or public support for the group a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison under British terrorism laws.
Government lawyer James Eadie told the court that the earlier ruling had wrongly assessed the balance between civil liberties and public protection, arguing parliament had already determined the measure was both necessary and proportionate.“The protection of national security and of the public from terrorism was central” to the decision, Eadie said in written submissions.
He told the court that judges had failed to properly consider parliament’s judgment that the ban was “both effective and appropriate,” adding that ordinary criminal law had “demonstrably failed” to prevent an escalation in the group’s activities.
“The line between criminality, sometimes violent criminality, and terrorism is not a bright one,” Eadie said, arguing Palestine Action was “not engaged in what can be properly described as merely civil disobedience.”He said the group met the statutory definition of being involved in terrorism under British law.
The ban triggered strong criticism from civil liberties advocates and pro-Palestinian campaigners, with thousands of supporters reportedly arrested since its introduction.In February, a three-judge High Court panel ruled in favor of a legal challenge brought by Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, finding that the prohibition had caused a “very significant interference” with rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action says its objective is to end what it describes as global complicity in Israel’s actions in Palestinian territories.
The group has primarily targeted weapons manufacturers, particularly facilities linked to Israeli defense company Elbit Systems.The appeal hearing is scheduled to conclude on Thursday.
