Home Office’s Palestine Action ban appeal to be ruled on by judges

WorldPolitics
15 Jun 2026 • 4:44 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Home Office’s Palestine Action ban appeal to be ruled on by judges

  • The Home Office is awaiting a High Court decision on its appeal against a previous ruling that deemed the proscription of Palestine Action as a terror organisation unlawful.
  • In February, three judges initially ruled that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 was unlawful, following a challenge by co-founder Huda Ammori.
  • The ban, which criminalised membership or support for Palestine Action with penalties of up to 14 years in prison, has remained in force despite the initial ruling as the Home Office pursued its appeal.
  • During the appeal, the Home Office argued that the High Court's findings on the human rights impact were 'overstated and wrong', while Palestine Action's lawyers contended that less intrusive measures could have been used and the ban created a 'culture of fear'.
  • The original February ruling stated that only a 'very small number' of Palestine Action's actions constituted terrorism, not reaching the level required for proscription, and highlighted a 'significant' error in Ms Cooper's use of discretion.

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