UK government wins Palestine Action appeal after court overturns ruling on ban

The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful.

Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was “not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization.”

"We concluded that the proscription decision struck a fair balance. We therefore allowed the home secretary's appeal against the decision of the Divisional Court. The Divisional Court proceeded on the basis of a misinterpretation of the proscription policy. It was mistaken in its approach to the question of proportionality, in particular as to the relevance of future risk assessment and margin of appreciation," she added.

She added that Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori’s cross-appeal application had been dismissed.

Carr acknowledged that Palestine Action "is supported by many otherwise-law-abiding citizens" and that the proscription of it is "highly controversial." However, she said the court’s assessment returned to the nature of the organization.

"It is a covert organization operating with secret cells to avoid the detection and prosecution of those using violence to destroy the property of third parties. Palestine Action's activities have caused injury, as well as property damage, and at no stage has Palestine Action suggested that its terrorist activities were either a mistake or an aberration. Rather, Palestine Action has lauded those who took part."

Palestine Action co-founder to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court

The group's co-founder Ammori said she will seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

"This is not a loss. Palestine Action was so effective in disrupting the Israeli weapons industry, that the state threw all its might at us," she said in a post through the US social media company X.

"By doing so, they've exposed how they prioritize the Zionist regime over its own citizens. As long as we continue to resist, we've won," she added.

"We will fight this all the way. We will seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and, if need be, take this to the European Court of Human Rights," she also said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Royal Court of Justice and the UK police have forcibly removed half a dozen Palestine Action protesters from there.

The ruling follows earlier proceedings in February, when three judges found that the then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 last year was unlawful. That judgment came after a legal challenge brought by Ammori.

The ban, which began on July 5 last year, made membership of, or support for, the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and has remained in force while the government continued to challenge the ruling.

Thousands of people have been arrested since the proscription.

[1/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[2/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[3/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[4/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[5/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[6/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: A protester dressed in black and holding a sickle in one hand is carrying a banner in the other as Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[7/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[8/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[9/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[10/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

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[1/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[2/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[3/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[4/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[5/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[6/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: A protester dressed in black and holding a sickle in one hand is carrying a banner in the other as Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[7/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[8/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[9/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."

[10/10] LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 15: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with some seen crying, after the Court of Appeal ruled that the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action was lawful in London, United Kingdom, on June 15, 2026. The UK Home Office has successfully challenged a High Court ruling that the banning of the Palestine Action group was unlawful, after senior judges found the proscription decision was justified and lawful. Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said on Monday that it was "not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization."