UK terror ban on pro-Palestine group unlawful, High Court rules after appeal

The British government’s ban on pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is unlawful, London’s High Court ruled on Friday after a legal challenge by the group’s co-founder.

Palestine Action was proscribed in July, having increasingly targeted Israel-linked defence companies in Britain with “direct action”, often blocking entrances, or spraying red paint.

The High Court upheld two grounds of challenge, with Judge Victoria Sharp saying: “Proscription did result in a significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and the right to freedom of assembly.”

Sharp added that the ban would remain in place to give the parties’ lawyers time to address the court on the next steps.