The High Court in London has ruled that the government’s decision to proscribe the direct-action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful, as reported by The Guardian. The ruling found that placing the group on the same legal footing as proscribed groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State was not justified.
According to the court, the proscription interfered with rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and free association. The judges noted that normal criminal law remains available to address acts such as criminal damage for a political cause, which the ruling stated Palestine Action’s activities involve through seeking to damage property, primarily equipment belonging to the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
The government’s ban, however, remains in effect to allow time for an appeal. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared that she will “fight” the judgment in the Court of Appeal.
More than 2,700 people have been arrested for holding placards opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action, with many of those arrested described as elderly, including a retired octogenarian priest. Supporting a proscribed group had risked a jail sentence of up to 14 years.
English juries have repeatedly acquitted Palestine Action activists hauled before the courts. The government’s move comes amid broader claims and rulings regarding Israel’s actions. A UN independent commission, genocide scholars and NGOs ranging from Amnesty International to Médecins Sans Frontières have concluded that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people. The International Criminal Court, of which the UK is a founding member, has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Cabinet colleague Wes Streeting declared last year, according to his published correspondence with Peter Mandelson, that “Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes.” Over a decade ago, Shabana Mahmood was marching against an Israeli onslaught against Gaza. The British government refuses to state that Israel has committed war crimes, with the source noting that doing so would impose legal obligations, such as making it unlawful to supply crucial components for Israel’s fighter jets, share intelligence or permit UK citizens to fight in Israel’s army. A previous foreign secretary backtracked after describing Israel’s blockade of Gaza as a violation of international law.
In March 2025, before the group was proscribed, Palestine Action vandalised Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. The former US president described them as “terrorists” and expressed hope they would be “treated harshly,” and he discussed Palestine Action twice with the UK prime minister. The contents of that conversation have not been revealed.
Only 26 MPs voted against the proscription legislation. Polling shows that the British public believes Israel’s attack on Gaza was not justified, supports an arms embargo and sanctions against Israel, and supports the arrest of Netanyahu. US polling indicates half of Americans believe Israel has committed genocide.
The court ruling drew comparison to the suffragettes, who planted bombs, burned down private homes and killed people, but are now often lauded, with history judging the disenfranchisement of women as the greater crime.
