Overview
- The Court of Appeal unanimously found on Monday that the Home Secretary’s July 5, 2025 proscription of Palestine Action is lawful and passed the court’s proportionality test.
- Judges accepted evidence that the group caused targeted damage to defence-related sites and used a so‑called “Underground Manual,” and ruled those tactics fall outside protected peaceful protest.
- Police made large numbers of arrests during protests outside the courts, with the Metropolitan Police reporting 117 arrests at the Royal Courts of Justice and local outlets saying hundreds more have been detained since the ban.
- Woolwich Crown Court has already signalled jail sentences for four activists known as the 'Filton 4' after linking their criminal damage convictions to a terrorist connection.
- Rights groups including Amnesty warned the decision risks chilling lawful protest, supporters plan appeals to the Supreme Court and possibly the European Court of Human Rights, and the ruling sets a new legal test for direct‑action groups that damage property.