UK High Court Rules Government’s Terrorism Ban on Palestine Action Was Unlawful

AhlulBayt News Agency: Britain’s High Court has delivered a major setback to the UK government’s efforts to suppress pro‑Palestinian activism, ruling that the Home Office acted unlawfully when it designated the campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization in 2025.

The ruling, issued Friday in London, supports critics who argued that the proscription represented an extreme violation of civil liberties and a dangerous misuse of counter‑terrorism legislation.

Palestine Action, founded in 2020 to challenge British support for Israeli military operations and corporate ties to the occupation, was added to the UK’s extremist list in July 2025 under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The designation placed the group alongside internationally recognized terrorist organizations, making membership or public support a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Civil liberties advocates condemned the move at the time, saying it criminalized peaceful protest and solidarity with Palestinians rather than addressing any real threat to public safety.

Government critics noted that the group’s actions — blocking entrances, spraying paint on defense contractor facilities, and staging direct actions against UK complicity in arms production — were political protests, not terrorism, and should fall under ordinary criminal law if necessary.

In her judgment, Judge Dame Victoria Sharp and fellow High Court judges ruled that the government failed to provide adequate justification for the ban and that the decision disproportionately infringed on freedoms of expression and assembly.

The ruling was celebrated by activists and human rights groups as a “historic victory” for democratic rights in the UK and for the broader movement supporting Palestinian justice.

Although the proscription technically remains in place while the government considers an appeal, the judgment paves the way for a full reassessment of the ban and may undermine numerous arrests and prosecutions carried out under the designation.

Since the ban was introduced, police have reportedly arrested thousands of demonstrators — including individuals holding signs supporting Palestine Action — fueling concerns that the terrorism label was used to suppress peaceful activism rather than protect public safety.

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