The UK High Court on Friday ruled that the government’s decision to ban activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization last summer was unlawful, marking a major victory for civil liberties campaigners.
The court found that then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group was disproportionate, raising questions about the arrests of almost 3,000 people at solidarity protests.
But Judge Victoria Sharp ruled that the ban remains in place pending an appeal by the goverment.
Human rights activists had argued the ban represented a sweeping overreach of government power, risked criminalizing political dissent and set a far-reaching precedent for the use of anti-terror laws against protest movements.
The co-founder of the group, Huda Ammori, had brought the legal challenge against the British government’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.
In an interview with Friday, Ammori said the ruling means “all of those arrests were technically unlawful.”.
“We are in a bit of legal limbo at the moment,” she told ’s Becky Anderson.
“But this is a huge victory, and it’s only a matter of time before the ban is lifted for good.”.
The ruling follows one of the largest campaigns of nonviolent civil disobedience in recent history, with 2,787 people – many of them pensioners or the elderly – arrested at protests nationwide since July.
Most of those arrests were for holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” at the demonstrations, according to Defend Our Juries – which has been instrumental in organizing the protests.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson called for a meeting with the home secretary and London’s police chief, urging them “to right the wrongs of the ban, including the wrongful treatment of all those who have been unlawfully arrested and charged under the proscription.”.
London’s Metropolitan Police on Friday acknowledged “there will likely be some confusion,” among the public following the government’s announcement to appeal the decision.
It said that officers will no longer be making arrests in relation to Palestine Action support but will continue to “focus on gathering evidence.”.
Following Friday’s ruling, crowds who had gathered outside London’s High Court erupted in cheers and chants of “Free free Palestine,” with some people in tears.
The political importance lies in whether the issue moves from public comment into formal action, party response, court record, election authority notice or administrative decision.
For public institutions and political groups, the next test is whether the issue remains a public argument or turns into a formal response, legal proceeding, administrative instruction or election-related communication.
