UK decision to ban Palestine Action unlawful, court rules
The UK High Court on Friday ruled that the government’s decision to ban the Palestine Action campaign group as a terrorist organization was unlawful.
The court’s judges said the ban had interfered with the right to freedom of speech, adding that the measure would remain in place to give the government a chance to appeal.
“Overall the court considered that the proscription of Palestine Action was disproportionate. A very small number of Palestine Action’s activities amounted to acts of terrorism,” the ruling said.
The pro-Palestinian campaign group was proscribed a terror group in July.
The listing makes membership in or support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. It also puts the group in the same category as Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda and the “Islamic State.”
Since the listing, more than 2,000 people have been arrested for supporting the group at demonstrations.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government planned to appeal Friday’s court ruling.
“I am disappointed by the court’s decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organization is disproportionate,” she said. “Home secretaries must … retain the ability to take action to protect our national security and keep the public safe.”
Why was Palestine Action banned?
The government moved to ban the group after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June and vandalized two planes to protest against the British military’s support for Israel in its war in Gaza.
The group had also increasingly targeted Israel-linked defense companies in Britain, carrying out direct action protests which officials say caused millions of pounds worth of damage.
Lawyers representing Huda Ammori, one of the group’s founders, argued at a hearing last year that the government’s ban was an authoritarian restriction on the right to protest.
Barristers for the Home Office argued the ban struck a fair balance and still allowed people to protest without breaking the law.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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