UK court upholds ban against Palestine Action

Protesters wave a Palestinian flag outside the Royal Courts Of Justice in central London, UK. (AFP)

• The ban made membership of or support for the direct action group a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison under terrorism legislation

LONDON: The British government’s decision to ban on the pro-Palestinian campaign group ​Palestine Action as a terrorist organization is lawful, London’s Court of Appeal ruled on Monday.
Palestine Action, which had increasingly targeted Israel-linked defense companies in Britain with a particular focus on Israel’s largest defense firm Elbit Systems, was proscribed ‌under terrorism ‌laws last year.
London’s ​High ‌Court ⁠ruled ​in February, ⁠after a legal challenge by the group’s co-founder, that the ban unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression, although it remained proscribed pending the government’s appeal.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr, the most ⁠senior judge in England and Wales ‌said the group’s ‌behavior was not that ​of a non-violent, ‌direct action organization, and the appeal ‌court had concluded proscription was justified and proportionate.
Lawyers for Britain’s interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, had argued at a hearing in April that ‌the conclusion the ban had a significant impact on freedom ⁠of ⁠expression was “overstated and wrong.”
But Huda Ammori, who co-founded Palestine Action in 2020, said proscription had imposed “severe restrictions on the fundamental free speech and assembly rights of vast numbers of people” who supported the Palestinian cause.
Carr said any such ban was “highly controversial” but added “it is a fundamental mistake to overlook ​the fact ​that Palestine Action overtly promoted unlawful violence amounting to terrorism.”