The Court of Appeal in London ruled on Monday that the British government acted lawfully in banning the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The decision overturns a February ruling by senior High Court judges who had determined that the scale of the group’s activities did not warrant proscription.
Chief Justice Sue Carr, leading the appellate panel, described Palestine Action as a covert organization operating in secret cells to avoid detection while engaging in violent and destructive acts, rather than a nonviolent civil disobedience group akin to historic protest movements like the suffragettes. The group’s actions, Carr said, extended beyond demonstration to include attacks on defense companies, banks, and a Royal Air Force base.
Palestine Action was proscribed following a June 2025 incident in which activists breached an RAF base to protest British military support for Israel’s operations in Gaza. This followed a series of vandalism and sabotage acts targeting defense-related sites, including facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK. The group has caused millions of dollars in damage and prompted concerns about national security. Four members received prison sentences last week for a 2024 attack on the Elbit factory in Bristol, which involved violent confrontations with security and law enforcement personnel, including an officer seriously injured with a sledgehammer.
The ban places Palestine Action alongside internationally recognized terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and Hamas. Membership or support of the group carries penalties of up to 14 years in prison. Since the ban, more than 3,300 people have been arrested at protests tied to Palestine Action, with over 700 charged under the U.K.’s Terrorism Act. These cases have been paused pending the appeal decision, with a scheduled court review on June 30.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori condemned the ruling and vowed to pursue legal challenges up to the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights, calling the ban “one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history.” Civil liberties advocates and supporters of Palestine Action argue that arrests have infringed on freedom of expression and protest rights, citing detentions for actions as minor as holding signs expressing solidarity with Palestine.
The group Defend Our Juries criticized the ruling as a misuse of the judicial process to suppress dissent and warned it would lead to unnecessary police spending on peaceful protesters. Meanwhile, Chief Justice Carr acknowledged that the decision could deter lawful expressions of support for the Palestinian cause but emphasized that public advocacy unrelated to Palestine Action’s proscribed status remains legal.
Palestine Action has been active since 2020, escalating notably after Israel launched its Gaza offensive following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reporting over 73,000 Palestinian deaths. The ministry, affiliated with the Hamas administration, maintains records widely regarded as credible by international observers.