Overview
- On Monday, June 15, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Home Office lawfully proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 and overturned the High Court’s February finding that the ban was disproportionate.
- The proscription, made in July 2025, criminalises membership of or support for the group with penalties of up to 14 years in prison and will allow hundreds of paused cases to be reviewed and reconvened.
- Since the ban was imposed, police have made large numbers of arrests for public displays of support for the group with published counts ranging between about 1,600 and 3,000 people detained at protests.
- Last week four activists were jailed for the August 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems site and a judge described that raid as having a ‘terrorist connection’, a factor the appeal judges cited when finding the group posed risks to third parties and property.
- Palestine Action’s co-founder said the group will seek permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights, while rights groups warn the ruling broadens use of terrorism laws against protest and may chill lawful dissent.