UK Court of Appeal Rules Palestine Action's Proscription Under Terrorism Legislation Was Lawful, Overturning High Court

The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that the government's decision to proscribe (formally ban) Palestine Action under terrorism legislation was lawful, overturning an earlier High Court judgment from February 2026 that had found the designation unlawful. Palestine Action was proscribed under terrorism laws last year following a series of direct-action protests targeting the property of companies linked to Israeli arms manufacturing. The Court of Appeal described Palestine Action as a covert organisation operating with secret cells to avoid detection and prosecution, noting that the group's activities involved using violence to destroy the property of third parties. The court found that Palestine Action had never suggested its conduct was a mistake or an aberration. The decision follows the conviction of Palestine Action members for criminal damage at a retrial in May 2026, where a judge issued longer sentences after determining there was a "terrorism connection" — sentences totalling more than 20 years in aggregate. Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action and the individual who brought the original High Court challenge, issued a defiant public statement in response to the ruling. The judgment is legally significant because it defines the outer limits of protest activity that can be classified as terrorism under UK law, with direct implications for civil liberties jurisprudence and the government's use of proscription powers.