By Midnight Adams
London, (The Muslim News): Palestine Action activists have been dealt yet another blow today as the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the government acted lawfully when it proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation back in July 2025.
The result comes days after the sentencing of four Palestine Action activists – Charlotte Head, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani and Samuel Corner – with a “terrorist connection.” At the time of their arrest, Palestine Action was not a proscribed organisation.
This decision reverses the earlier High Court judgment in February of this year, which found the proscription unlawful and disproportionate. Following this outcome, Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmoud, announced the government would be appealing – leading to today’s outcome.
Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said that Palestine Action “presented a very real risk of injury not only to property but also to members of the public” as she delivered the ruling today.
The panel, made up of five judges, also said they were “unable to identify” any alternative steps that the government could have taken in response to Palestine Action other than to proscribe them.
This judgement places Palestine Action alongside the Wagner Group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and Al Qa’ida.
The NGO CAGE immediately rebuked the judgement, stating: “This outcome should not be surprising to anyone, judicial independence is dead and judges are the agents of government policy.”
Sukaina Rajwani, whose daughter Fatema Zainab was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison on Friday for targeting Elbit Systems back in 2024, also expressed disillusionment with the judicial system, saying: “At the heart of the matter, the systems trusted to uphold the law are rigged and lined up to protect complicity in genocide. If the courts were to take a just and honest approach, direct action to save lives would not equate to terrorism.”
The Home Secretary praised the court’s decision, saying: “[Palestine Action] is not an ordinary protest or civil disobedience group, and its actions are not consistent with democratic values and the rule of law.”
She affirmed that defending the Palestinian cause will not be equated with supporting Palestine Action, noting: “This decision does not affect lawful protest in support of the Palestinian cause, which remains a fundamental democratic right.
“There is a difference between supporting Palestine and supporting a proscribed terrorist group.”
Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary, backed the government’s stance, saying: “There is no justification for violence and disruption caused by this organisation, no matter how strongly someone feels about an issue.
“The Conservatives have been clear that Palestine Action should be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Groups that organise systematic property destruction and attacks on police officers are criminals operating under a political banner, and the law should treat them accordingly.”
But human rights organisations have been quick to challenge this, already issuing condemnations of the judgement.
The United Nations has consistently called the ban “disturbing” and Amnesty International published this response: “We have long said that the banning of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was a grave misuse of sweeping counter-terrorism powers with serious consequences for human rights, and today’s outcome does not alter that assessment. It is fundamentally disproportionate to treat direct action protest as terrorism.”
Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, was in agreement, saying: “This ruling tells us exactly what these powers are for. They are not safeguards against violence, they are authoritarian tools for crushing dissent. Thousands of people, including pensioners, now continue to live under threat of prosecution for opposing Britain’s role in a genocide.”
The judgement now means that membership of Palestine Action could result in up to 14 years’ imprisonment under the Terrorism Act.
Since the group’s proscription, more than 2,000 people across the UK have been arrested for voicing their support, with The Guardian reporting more than 700 people have been charged, and many more cases currently ongoing. Today’s judgement will have a significant effect on the outcomes of these cases.
Today alone, the Metropolitan Police announced they had arrested 117 people on suspicion of showing support for the proscribed organisation.
But the legal fight continues. Palestine Action’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, has said the group intends to seek permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court and potentially take the case further if necessary.
Mrs Ammori also said she considered this “one of the most extreme attacks on free speech and the right to protest in modern British history.”
Midnight Adams is an independent Journalist
[Photo: Police officers detain pro-Palestine demonstrators on wheelchairs outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, United Kingdom on June 15, 2026. A protest was staged following the UK Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the government’s ruling to designate the activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, leading to police intervention and multiple arrests. Photojournalist: Raşid Necati Aslım/AA]
