The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Home Secretary's decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act was lawful, overturning a previous High Court ruling. The five-judge panel, including the Lady Chief Justice and Master of the Rolls, found that the High Court had 'materially understated' the discretion afforded to the Home Secretary in such decisions.
The ban, which took effect on 5 July last year, makes membership of or support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Over 3,000 people have been arrested since then, mostly for displaying placards with slogans such as 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action', as part of a campaign by Defend Our Juries.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr acknowledged that the proscription could have a 'chilling effect' on lawful protest, but said that the importance of protecting national security and the rights of others outweighed this. She emphasised that the Home Secretary was best placed to assess future threats from the group.
Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action who challenged the ban, vowed to continue the legal fight, seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and potentially the European Court of Human Rights. She described the ban as 'one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history'.
Human rights groups including Liberty, Amnesty International UK, and Greenpeace criticised the ruling, arguing that counter-terrorism powers were being misused to stifle legitimate protest. The Metropolitan Police reported arresting 117 people outside the Court of Appeal on Monday for suspected support of a proscribed organisation.
