In a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, London’s High Court has ruled that the ban on Palestine Action is unlawful.
The court stated that the ban will remain in place, pending the results of the government’s appeal. However, the Metropolitan Police announced that it will no longer arrest people for supporting the group.
“This approach relates solely to the expression of support for Palestine Action,” noted law enforcement in a press release.”We will continue to intervene and make arrests where we see people crossing the line from lawful protest to intimidate, to damage property, to use violence, to stir up racial hatred or to commit other offences.”
In their decision, the three-judge panel said that then-home secretary Yvette Cooper did not account for how the proscription would impact protected protest.
“The nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription,” read the judgement.
Guardian Legal Affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique referred to the ruling as a “humiliating defeat” for the government, which has “transformed Palestine Action from a little-known protest group to one that is on the front page of newspapers.”
An organizer with the group told reporter Matt Shea that the 2700 arrests and 500 charges that members faced are now void and that they are entitled to financial compensation from the government.
The victory was celebrated by Palestine activists and human rights groups.
“This is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history,” said Palestine Action’s cofounder Huda Ammori in a statement.
“Today’s ruling is a vital affirmation of the right to protest at a time when it has been under sustained and deliberate attack,” said Amnesty International UK’s Law and Human Rights Director Tom Southerden. “The High Court’s decision sends a clear message: the government cannot simply reach for sweeping counter‑terrorism powers to silence critics or suppress dissent. We welcome this judgment as an essential check on overreach and a powerful reminder that fundamental freedoms still carry weight in UK law.”
“This is a vindication for those who had the courage and humanity to oppose genocide,” former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Novara Media. “This government thinks it can shield itself from accountability for the role it has played in one of the greatest crimes of our time. Today’s historic judgment proves it will not succeed.”
The ruling was condemned by government officials, like Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who said he was “disappointed” by the decision
“I intend to fight this judgment in the Court of Appeal,” he added.
Palestine Action was proscribed in July, after breaking into the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton air base and damaging two planes to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East,” declared the group. “By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Starmer referred to the direct action as a “disgraceful” act of vandalism.
Writing in Mondoweiss following their proscription, Dr. Asim Qureshi, the Research Director at CAGE International, detailed how the targeting of Palestine Action was a clear attempt to quash pro-Palestine speech.
“Britain’s proscription regime has entrenched a cultural McCarthyism, where political speech on Palestine is policed not just by the state but by the institutions that claim to protect democratic discourse,” wrote Qureshi.
Earlier this month, six Palestine Action activists were acquitted on aggravated burglary charges over their July 2024 raid on an Elbit weapons factory in Filton, England.
