In a landmark ruling celebrated by human rights groups, the High Court in London has called the United Kingdom government’s ban on the pro-Palestinian campaign group, Palestine Action, “unlawful”.
In July last year, the UK government had banned the group, which had protested against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and the UK’s support for Israel. The Labour government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer designated it as a “terrorist” organisation and a national security threat, putting it on par with armed groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
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Here’s a timeline of when and why Palestine Action was banned and what members of the group have had to endure so far:
What does Friday’s ruling mean?
On Friday morning, judges at the Royal Courts of Justice struck down the British government’s proscription against Palestine Action, ruling that they were “satisfied that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was disproportionate”.
Sean Summerfield, a UK-based barrister specialising in international criminal law and human rights at Doughty Street Chambers, told Al Jazeera that Friday’s ruling mainly vindicates those who stood in solidarity with Palestine Action and will not have an effect on those directly engaged with the group.
Since the ban, the UK police have arrested 2,787 people for holding signs like “I oppose genocide”, “I support Palestine Action” in silent vigils across the UK, according to a statement by the campaign group, Defend Our Juries.
After Friday’s court ruling, holding such placards will no longer be considered unlawful.
Defend Our Juries said that after Friday’s ruling, seven people charged with Section 12 (Terrorism Act 2000) offences for addressing Zoom calls as part of the Lift the Ban campaign against Palestine Action will also have their arrests deemed unlawful.
Summerfield said the UK’s Director of Public Prosecutions will now have a decision to make about what to do with those already arrested.
“Do they respect the decision of the High Court and discontinue those prosecutions, or do they continue to prosecute pending appeal? The Metropolitan police have already indicated they will now stop arresting people for holding placards, but that does not preclude further arrests if the appeal succeeds,” he said.
“But given the early indications that the government will appeal, the thousands of people arrested for holding placards are likely to remain in limbo,” he added.
Summerfield said that with respect to those activists directly engaged with Palestine Action who have broken into arms factories or disrupted supply chains on behalf of the group, prosecution will continue.
“This is because they have been charged with things like criminal damage. They will still be prosecuted,” he said.
Why was Palestine Action banned?
Last July, members of the UK parliament voted in favour of banning Palestine Action, which was established in July 2020. The direct action group describes itself as a movement “committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.
The government proscribed the group under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000. Other groups banned under the law include armed groups such as ISIS (ISIL), al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan.
The ban came after activists from Palestine Action entered the Royal Air Force station in Brize Norton, the UK’s largest airbase, in June 2025 and vandalised military aircraft with red paint. At the time, the group said they carried out this action since “these [Royal Air Force] aircraft can be used to refuel and have been used to refuel Israeli fighter jets.”
Prime Minister Starmer condemned the incident. “The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful,” he said in a post.
Previously, in August 2024, Palestine Action activists had driven a van into Israeli defence and technology company Elbit’s headquarters in Bristol, causing extensive damage.
At about the same time, they had also spray-painted the Ministry of Defence, in central London, red and defaced a statue of Arthur Balfour with tomato ketchup inside the House of Commons. Balfour was a former Conservative prime minister who, serving as foreign secretary in 1917, authored the Balfour Declaration, which supported the establishment of a Jewish “national home” in Palestine.
What has happened since the ban?
Following the ban, Palestine Action said on X that “the real crime” was not the “red paint being sprayed on these warplanes, but the war crimes that have been enabled with those planes because of the UK government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide”.
The group added that the government’s move could risk criminalising legitimate protest.
Since the ban, being a member of the group or supporting Palestine solidarity protests organised by the group in the UK was considered an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Last week, six people linked to Palestine Action were acquitted of aggravated burglary in connection with an alleged break-in at Elbit Systems in August 2024. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges of criminal damage.
In total, 24 activists linked to the Palestinian direct action group arrested at different times are still awaiting trial, and many have been held beyond the maximum six-month detention limits.
Several Palestine Action activists launched hunger strikes late last year, seeking better conditions in prison, rights to a fair trial, and for the UK government to reverse its decision to ban the group.
In January, a few of the activists ended their strike after a number of their demands were met, while others ended it due to health reasons.
What are the reactions to Friday’s ruling?
The court’s ruling has, however, been celebrated by people in the country, human rights groups, and members of the British government.
“This is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history,” Huda Ammori, the Palestine Action cofounder, said.
John Moxham, a retired professor of medicine who was standing outside the court at the time of the ruling, told Al Jazeera he’s “absolutely delighted”.
“I feel absolutely delighted because my wife was arrested for sitting down and supporting Palestine Action. I’ve been on all the marches and it’s just a wonderful day,” he said.
“The whole banning in the first place was just a total travesty, and it was obviously ridiculous. It’s so wonderful that it’s now been turned over. There ought to be a lot of resignations of government ministers and people. The prime minister and David Lammy [secretary of justice] have got a lot of blood on their hands.”
Anas Mustapha, head of public Advocacy at CAGE International, said: “Today’s decision is the correct legal outcome, though it was secured only through principled sacrifice and collective will.
“This ruling against the Home Secretary’s decision should now result in the withdrawal of charges against all Palestine Action activists in prison and the thousands who acted on their conscience, as part of the largest civil disobedience campaign this country has seen in recent years,” he added.
British Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay welcomed the ruling.
“The Govt must immediately stop interfering with legitimate peaceful protest – and instead fully address its complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he said in a post on X.
What happens next?
The British government has said it intends to appeal the court’s ruling.
“I am disappointed by the court’s decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement.
“I intend to fight this judgment in the Court of Appeal.”
Summerfield told Al Jazeera that the High Court’s ban remains in place until the government decides whether to appeal.
“The British government has until next Friday to launch an appeal,” he said.
“Assuming the government does appeal, the ban will remain in place at least until that appeal process has been exhausted, which could be lengthy,” he added.
But rights groups have called on the government not to appeal the court’s decision.
“The High Court’s decision sends a clear message: the Government cannot simply reach for sweeping counter terrorism powers to suppress protest,” Amnesty International’s UK division said on X.
“We welcome this judgment as an essential check on overreach and a powerful reminder that fundamental rights still carry weight in UK law,” the international rights group said.
“We urge the Government to respect the ruling and NOT to appeal this decision. We will continue to expose attempts to erode our rights.”
