Activist group Palestine Action wins legal challenge against UK ban

LONDON

Protestors react after hearing the verdict outside The Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in London.

England's high court on Feb. 13 upheld a challenge to a U.K. government ban on activist group Palestine Action, saying it had interfered with the right to freedom of speech.

"Overall the court considered that the proscription of Palestine Action was disproportionate. A very small number of Palestine Action's activities amounted to acts of terrorism," the judges ruled.

The proscription resulted in a "very significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and free assembly,” the judges ruled.

The government reacted swiftly, with Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood saying she would appeal.

"I am disappointed by the court's decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate," she said.

"Home secretaries must ... retain the ability to take action to protect our national security and keep the public safe. I intend to fight this judgement in the Court of Appeal."

Cheers erupted outside the court when the judgement was read out on Feb. 13.

But judges ruled the ban brought in July under the U.K.'s 2000 Terrorism Act would remain in place pending an appeal.

In June2025, the government announced ban under the Terrorism Act 2000 after activists spray-painted planes at a Royal Air Force base, an act being investigated under counter-terrorism laws.

It classified Palestine Action alongside ISIL and al-Qaida, meaning that belonging to or backing the group is now a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Even displaying its name on a T-shirt or placard could lead to a six-month jail term.

Nearly 3,000 people, some aged in their 80s, have been arrested and hundreds charged for showing support for Palestine Action at demonstrations since July.

Most were detained for holding up posters in support of the group, according to protest organizers Defend Our Juries.