[News] UK High Court rules Palestine Action ban unlawful

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-high-court-rules-palestine-action-ban-unlawful>
UK High Court rules Palestine Action ban unlawful
Al Mayadeen English
February 13, 2026
------------------------------

The High Court in the UK rules the ban on Palestine Action unlawful under
the Terrorism Act, though the order remains, pending an appeal.

   - [image: Supporters of Palestine Action stage a protest outside the
   Royal Court of Justice in London, Friday, February 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin
   Cheung)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2026/2/13/4db351db-cba2-457a-8350-267a7fa81689.jpg?width=1000>
   Supporters of Palestine Action stage a protest outside the Royal Court of
   Justice in London, Friday, February 13, 2026. (*AP *Photo/Kin Cheung)

The UK High Court ruled on Friday that the government's proscription of
Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act was unlawful.

On Friday, three judges led by Dame Victoria Sharp
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/palestine-action-uk-case-reassigned-to-panel-with-pro--israe>,
president of the King’s Bench Division, concluded that the decision to ban
the group was unlawful. However, the ban
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-high-court-hears-challenge-to-controversial-palestine-act>
will
remain temporarily in place to allow the government time to appeal.

>From July 5 last year, membership of or public support for Palestine Action
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-advocacy-groups-stand-in-solidarity-with-palestine-action>
became a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The group
had been placed on the list of proscribed organisations, categorizing it
alongside internationally recognized armed groups.

The court upheld the challenge on two of four grounds. Judges found that
the proscription represented “a very significant interference” with the
rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and association. They also
ruled that Yvette Cooper’s decision was inconsistent with her own stated
policy.

Sharp described Palestine Action as an organisation “that promotes its
political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality”, but
continued, “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 within the definition of section 1 of the
2000 Act."

“For these, and for Palestine Action’s other criminal activities, the general
criminal law
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-protesters-storm-prison-in-support-of-palestine-action-ac>
remains available. 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,” Sharp added.
Legal and political repercussions

The judgment marks the first time an organisation banned under the
Terrorism Act has successfully challenged its proscription in court.

According to the campaign group Defend Our Juries, more than 2,700 people
have been arrested since the ban took effect, most under section 13 of the
Terrorism Act. More than 500 individuals, including clergy, pensioners, and
military veterans, have been charged.

If the proscription order is ultimately quashed, the charges could be
dropped. For now, those charged remain in legal uncertainty while the ban
stays in force pending appeal.

*Read more: Leaked UK intel exposes flawed ban on Palestine Action
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/leaked-uk-intel-exposes-flawed-ban-on-palestine-action>*
Government to appeal decision

Current home secretary Shabana Mahmood
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-home-secretary-rejects-us-claims-of--civilizational-erasu>
said she would challenge the ruling.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori described the decision as a
“monumental victory” and said the ban was based on property damage rather
than violence against individuals.

 “We were banned because Palestine Action’s disruption of Israel’s largest
weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, cost the corporation millions of
pounds in profits and to lose out on multibillion-pound contracts.

“We’ve used the same tactics as direct action organisations throughout
history, including anti-war groups Keir Starmer defended in court, and the
government acknowledged in these legal proceedings that this ban was based
on property damage, not violence against people.

“Banning Palestine Action was always about appeasing pro-Israel lobby
groups and weapons manufacturers, and nothing to do with terrorism …
Today’s landmark ruling is a victory for freedom for all, and I urge the
government to respect the court’s decision and bring this injustice to an
end without further delay.”

The case is likely to intensify debate in the United Kingdom over the
balance between national security powers and civil liberties.

*Read more: UK hunger striker ends protest after ICU transfer, organ
failure
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/uk-hunger-striker-ends-protest-after-icu-transfer--organ-fai>*
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