UK Court Strikes Down Ban on Palestine Action
Judges determined the proscription was "disproportionate" and violated fundamental rights to free expression and peaceful assembly—a decision that casts doubt on the fate of thousands already facing criminal charges.
Palestine Action was added to Britain's terrorist registry in July 2025 following an incident where members infiltrated RAF's Brize Norton airbase and vandalized two military aircraft to protest London's backing of Israel's Gaza military campaign. The classification positioned the activist network in the same category as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, imposing penalties of up to 14 years imprisonment for membership or material support. Authorities criminalized even wearing the organization's insignia or displaying its name on protest signs, with violators facing six months behind bars.
Internal government records reveal the ban emerged from sustained lobbying efforts by pro-Israel organizations including We Believe in Israel, the Israeli Embassy in London, and representatives from Elbit Systems, Israel's dominant private defense contractor.
Following the designation's implementation, law enforcement detained over 2,700 individuals for demonstrating solidarity with Palestine Action at public gatherings, according to advocacy organization Defend Our Juries. Those arrested ranged from elderly citizens and a former judicial officer to retired medical professionals, with hundreds now facing terrorism-related prosecutions.
The enforcement campaign triggered Britain's most extensive synchronized prison hunger strike in decades, with detainees abstaining from food for as long as 73 days to challenge the terrorism classification and extended pre-trial incarceration.
Huda Ammori, a founding member of the organization, initiated the judicial review. Her legal team contended the prohibition represented an extraordinary measure that excessively restricted lawful demonstration. In their 46-page decision, Dame Victoria and her judicial colleagues ruled that "the nature and scale of Palestine Action's activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription."
The ban remains operative while authorities pursue an appeal. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood voiced dissatisfaction with the court's determination and announced the government's intention to challenge the verdict in the Court of Appeal.
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