The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Home Secretary's decision to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act was lawful, overturning a previous High Court decision. The panel of five judges, including the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, found that the High Court had 'materially understated' the discretion afforded to the Home Secretary in such matters.
The ruling comes as a relief to the government, whose ban has faced widespread criticism and a civil disobedience campaign resulting in over 3,000 arrests. The ban, effective from 5 July last year, makes membership or support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Most arrests have been for displaying placards reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr stated that future threats posed by Palestine Action were crucial factors, and that the Home Secretary was best placed to assess these risks with expert advice. She acknowledged that law-abiding citizens might be deterred from lawful assembly or expressing pro-Palestinian views, but concluded that national security concerns outweighed rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori vowed to continue the legal fight, stating she would seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, 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 it misuses counter-terrorism powers and undermines the right to protest. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police reported arresting 117 people outside the court during the hearing on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.
