The British government has unlawfully banned Action Palestine under anti-terrorism laws, London judges have ruled, challenging hundreds of prosecutions of the group’s supporters.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday to overturn Britain’s ban, declaring it “unreasonable” in an embarrassing reversal for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. The judges said Palestine Action would remain banned as a terrorist organization “pending a court ruling”, giving the government time to appeal.
Britain’s Home Office banned Palestine Action in July last year in a controversial move after the group said it had damaged two military planes. Supporters and human rights activists criticized the move as excessive, saying it had a chilling effect on legitimate protests. After the ban was introduced, more than 2,000 people were arrested, many for holding up the signs, and hundreds were charged.
The terrorist designation, which puts Palestine Action in the same category as groups such as al-Qaeda, highlights growing tensions in the UK over the Gaza conflict, which is particularly problematic for the Labor government. The government argued that the terror ban did not prevent peaceful protests in support of the Palestinian cause.
Starmer was torn between defending Israel, a longtime ally, while speaking up for Palestinian citizens under fire. But this balancing act drew further backlash from the left of his party, which said the use of anti-terrorist forces impeded legitimate criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The legal challenge was filed by one of the founders of Palestine Action. The judges said the nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities had not yet reached a “level, scale and persistence” that would justify any measures associated with a terrorist organization ban.
“This round is a very significant interference with the right to freedom of expression,” the judges said in their decision.
“A very small number of Palestine Action’s activities amounted to acts of terrorism,” the judges said. “The general criminal law remains available for these and other crimes of Palestine Action.”