Palestine Action, a British direct action group, was unjustifiably called a 'terrorist group' by their government, and this designation has been found by the High Court to 'severely interfere' with freedom of speech and assembly

Palestine Action ban 'unlawful', court finds

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 14/2/2026

Photo:By ProtoplasmaKid - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

IN a major win for opponents of genocide, and a major defeat for the UK Labour government, Britain's High Court has found that the unjustifiable terrorist designation for Palestine Action is 'unlawful'.

Palestine Action is a direct action group that engages in vandalism of sites that actively aid in the genocide of Palestinians. They do not endorse or advocate violence against the person, which would be a requirement for any legitimate terrorist designation.

Between the illegal designation on 5 July and today, 2,787 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding placards reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'.

The High Court found that this, clearly, this designation is a 'very significant' interference with freedom of speech and assembly. It was additionally found that the designation went against the government policy on proscribing terrorist organisations, which requires ministers to take into account factors including the scale of an organisation's activities, as well as the specific threat it poses to the United Kingdom. The Home Secretary did not do this when proscribing Palestine Action.

The British government, at the time of proscription, described Palestine Action as having caused 'significant injury'. This was not true. All of Palestine Action's known acts involved minor damage to property. The High Court found on this that 'a very small number' of Palestine Action acts amount to acts of terrorism, far below the par for designation.

While the High Court has ruled in favour of Palestine Action and decency, work to fully quash the illegal designation must still be carried out. There must be submissions made by both parties, and it is also expected that an appeal will be made by the government.

It is extremely shameful that this ban has been seen through as it has by the UK 'Labour' Party, who, like our 'Labor' Party in Australia, does not represent workers and will respond to any opposition to genocide with extreme police violence.

The Socialist Bulletin acknowledges that we write on stolen, unceded Indigenous land. We pay our respects to First Nations elders, past, present, and emerging.