STORY
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism legislation was lawful, overturning an earlier High Court judgment which had found the ban unlawful. The case concerned the Home Secretary’s decision to add the group to the list of proscribed organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Court of Appeal said the Home Secretary had been entitled to conclude that the group was not merely a non-violent protest organisation and that its activities involved covert operations and support for unlawful violence. The ruling means the proscription remains in force, making membership of, or support for, Palestine Action a criminal offence.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has said the group intends to continue its legal challenge, including by seeking to take the case to the Supreme Court. The Home Office has welcomed the judgment, while civil liberties and human rights groups have criticised the use of counter-terrorism powers against a direct action group and warned of the implications for protest rights.