Palestine Action Proscribed
UK Court Upholds Palestine Action Terrorist Ban, Escalating National Security vs. Civil Liberties Debate
Key Points
The Court of Appeal ruling overturned a February 2026 High Court judgment, with the appeal decision delivered by a five-judge panel.
In its written judgment, the court said: “The proscription of an organisation like Palestine Action is highly controversial. But it is a fundamental mistake to overlook the fact that Palestine Action overtly promotes unlawful violence amounting to terrorism”.
The proscription has effects beyond criminalizing the group itself: it also “ban[s] support for proscribed groups,” leading to arrests of people demonstrating in solidarity with Palestine Action.
Palestine Action describes its mission as ending “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”, and says it uses “disruptive tactics” targeting “corporate enablers” including Elbit Systems, Leonardo, Thales, and Teledyne—adding that it has targeted British facilities linked to those firms.
The article notes related case activity: on June 12, a London court ruled that four Palestine Action members convicted of criminal damage at a British facility owned by Israeli weapons group Elbit Systems near Bristol would be sentenced on the basis that their offences fell within the relevant terrorism framework.
The UK Court of Appeal upheld the government's ban on Palestine Action on June 15, 2026, ruling that the group is a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000. A five-judge panel led by Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr overturned a February 2026 High Court ruling that had briefly struck down the ban, saying it was "a fundamental mistake to overlook the fact that Palestine Action overtly promotes unlawful violence amounting to terrorism," according to LA Times.
Police arrested additional supporters outside the London court on the day of the ruling. Since the group was first proscribed in July 2025, around 3,000 people have been arrested in connection with Palestine Action, NTD reported. The group says it will seek a further appeal at the UK Supreme Court.
How a Protest Group Became a Banned Terror Organization
Palestine Action was founded in July 2020 by Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard. Its goal was to shut down British facilities linked to Israel's defense industry. Over five years, the group carried out 45 documented actions, targeting sites owned by Elbit Systems, Leonardo, Thales, and Teledyne. Authorities say those actions caused millions of pounds in criminal damage.
The breaking point came on June 20, 2025, when activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and spray-painted military aircraft red. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed the group just two weeks later, on July 5, 2025. Supporting Palestine Action then became a criminal offense carrying up to 14 years in prison. Solidarity rallies in London that August and September led to over 1,350 arrests in just two demonstrations, according to NTD.
Court Says Group Ran Secret Cells to Evade Detection
The Court of Appeal did not treat Palestine Action as a standard protest movement. Baroness Carr described it as "a covert organization operating with secret cells." The court said this structure — designed to help members evade police — pushed it past the line that separates disruptive protest from terrorism under UK law, NTD reported.
The ruling reversed a February 2026 High Court decision that had found the Home Office failed to follow its own internal rules on proportionality. The appeal court dismissed that reasoning. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood welcomed the judgment, saying Palestine Action is "not an ordinary protest group" and that its actions are "not consistent with democratic values," according to LA Times.
Activists Face Long Prison Terms Under Terrorism Framework
On June 12, 2026 — just three days before the appeal ruling — a London court sentenced four Palestine Action members for a 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems facility near Bristol. Samuel Corner, 23, received 7 years and 8 months, the harshest sentence ever given to a Palestine Action member. Charlotte Head and Leona Kamio each received 5 years. Fatema Rajwani was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months.
The judge ruled their offenses had a "terrorism connection" — meaning the activists' stated goal of pressuring the government put their actions inside the terrorism sentencing framework. There are currently more than 700 active Palestine Action cases in courts across England and Wales, according to LA Times.
Civil Liberties Groups Warn of a Chilling Effect on Protest
Liberty and Amnesty International both intervened in the case, arguing the designation was a disproportionate response to property damage. Amnesty called the ruling a "chilling threat to freedom of expression." UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk had earlier warned that the ban was a "disturbing misuse" of counter-terrorism laws. Legal experts cautioned the ruling could set a precedent for banning other disruptive groups, such as Just Stop Oil.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori vowed to fight on after the ruling, calling it an "attack on the Palestinian rights movement." The proscription remains in full force while any Supreme Court appeal is pending. That means wearing the group's logo or raising money for it can lead to immediate arrest, according to NTD.
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