LONDON — Britain’s Court of Appeal delivered a ruling Monday upholding the government’s decision to classify the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, reversing an earlier court decision that had sided with the group.
Chief Justice Sue Carr wrote that Palestine Action could not credibly be described as a civil disobedience organization, as the group had argued. She noted that the group operated through covert cells and carried out deliberate destruction of property at defense companies and on military bases.
“In our judgment, that premise was seriously flawed. It was not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization,” Carr stated in the ruling.
The decision overturns a February ruling by three senior High Court judges who had concluded that while the group did commit some crimes in pursuit of its political goals, the extent of those activities did not justify a terrorism designation. The ban had remained in effect throughout the government’s appeal process.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori responded defiantly, saying the group would “fight proscription all the way” to both the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. She described the ban as “one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history.”
The British government moved to outlaw the group after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June 2025 to demonstrate against British military support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza — a conflict that has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths. That incident came after a series of other vandalism-related actions carried out by the group.
By being placed on the terrorism list alongside organizations such as al-Qaida and Hamas, membership in or support for Palestine Action became a criminal offense carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
Since the ban took effect, more than 3,300 people have been arrested at protests for holding signs reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Over 700 individuals have been charged under the U.K.’s Terrorism Act, though no convictions have been handed down yet.
Civil liberties advocates and supporters of the group argue that arresting people for peaceful demonstration tramples on free speech rights and the right to protest.
The group Defend Our Juries criticized the ruling, saying it would likely result in more police resources being used to detain peaceful protesters. “It appears the courts have been instrumentalized to suppress opposition to genocide, when they should be doing the precise opposite,” the group said in a statement released following the decision.
Palestine Action has been staging direct action protests at military and industrial locations across the U.K. since its founding in 2020, including break-ins at facilities operated by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK. Authorities say the group’s activities have caused millions of pounds in damage with implications for national security.
The original High Court panel acknowledged that some of those actions rose to the level of terrorist acts but said they could be prosecuted through the criminal justice system without a formal proscription order.
Just last Friday, four group members who broke into an Elbit factory in Bristol in 2024 and destroyed equipment were sentenced to prison after a judge determined they had acted as terrorists. More than 100 Palestine Action supporters were arrested outside the London courthouse where that sentencing took place.
