US EditionUK decision to ban Palestine Action as terror group unlawful, London's High Court rules
- On Friday the High Court ruled the Home Office ban on Palestine Action unlawful and disproportionate, quashing the proscription but keeping the group proscribed pending appeal with submissions due by February 20.
- The Government cited attacks on defence sites, including a 2024 Elbit Systems raid causing around 1 million pounds of damage and a June break‑in at RAF Brize Norton.
- Judge Victoria Sharp wrote that former home secretary Yvette Cooper breached her own policy and the court found only a very small number of Palestine Action's acts met terrorism criteria, with Huda Ammori winning on two of four grounds in the detailed High Court judgment.
- Police forces will now focus on gathering evidence of support for Palestine Action rather than making arrests, while thirty-two activists are due in court on Monday next week amid doubts over pending prosecutions.
- Human Rights Watch and Liberty called for independent scrutiny and warned the case blurred the line between direct action and terrorism, while John Woodcock, crossbench peer, urged reforms to target sabotage without terror labels.
142 Articles
142 Articles
The UK Government's decision last July on classifying the Palestine Action protest group as a terrorist organization was illegal, according to the British High Court on Friday. The UK Police arrested more than 2,000 peaceful protesters for holding posters declaring their support for the movement.
The United Kingdom's High Court ruled on Friday that the government's decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action under Britain's terrorism law was unlawful, but the ban remains in place until the next hearing while the government prepares an appeal.
The British government had banned and classified Palestine Action as "terrorist", thereby violating "the rights to freedom of expression and assembly" according to the London High Court.
The Palestine Action group in the UK is protesting against the Israeli military's action in Gaza. In order to prevent arms shipments to Israel, activists are invading an air force base - the group is then banned.
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