Since June last year, more than 3,000 people have been arrested and over 700 charged simply for holding placards showing support for a group called Palestine Action. That group has become the first organisation to be banned under the Terrorism Act 2000, and the legal battle over that ban has now reached the Court of Appeal, leaving many people wondering who they are and why the government regards them as terrorists.
Palestine Action is a direct action group that describes itself as opposing Israeli military and industrial operations in the UK. The group's tactics have included damaging property linked to Israeli companies: in June 2025, activists smashed drones and other equipment belonging to an Israeli firm at an RAF base in Oxfordshire, and two planes were damaged with red paint. Four activists were later jailed. The then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed the group in July 2025, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Supporting the group – even just with a placard – can lead to prosecution under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which carries a maximum six-month sentence.
“Explains the ban on Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, the legal challenges, and implications for UK protest.”
The group quickly challenged the ban in court. In February 2026, the High Court ruled the proscription was unlawful. But on 15 June 2026, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision, with five judges – including the two most senior judges in England and Wales – finding that the ban was "justified and proportionate". The Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, said Palestine Action "overtly promotes unlawful violence amounting to terrorism" and operates as "a covert organisation which operates with secret cells to avoid the detection and prosecution of those using violence to destroy property and cause injury". The group's co-founder Huda Ammori said she would appeal to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, the European Court of Human Rights.
For ordinary UK readers, this case raises fundamental questions about the boundary between lawful protest and terrorism. The vast majority of those arrested were not accused of committing violence, but of holding placards reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action" during demonstrations organised by the Defend Our Juries campaign. Deborah Hinton, an 82-year-old former magistrate from Cornwall, said she was "devastated and shocking" by the ruling and feared being sent to prison under anti-terror laws for what she saw as peaceful protest. Critics, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski, accuse the government of "branding of protest as 'terrorism'". The government insists the ban does not affect lawful protest in support of the Palestinian cause and that there is a clear difference between supporting Palestine and supporting a proscribed terrorist group.
Q: What does it mean for a group to be 'proscribed' under the Terrorism Act? Proscription is the process of making it illegal to belong to, support, or display support for an organisation listed as proscribed. The Home Secretary has the power to add groups that are believed to be concerned in terrorism. Once proscribed, membership or support can lead to up to 14 years in prison, and displaying support in public (like a placard) can lead to six months in prison.
Q: Why was Palestine Action banned when other protest groups aren't? The government argued, and the Court of Appeal agreed, that Palestine Action is not a peaceful civil disobedience group like the suffragettes. The judges noted that the group uses secret cells, promotes violence, and damages property – acts that meet the legal definition of terrorism because they are intended to influence the government or intimidate the public for a political cause.
Q: What happens to the people already arrested or charged? Over 700 people have been charged under section 13 of the Terrorism Act for supporting Palestine Action. Their cases had been paused while the courts considered the legality of the ban. With the Court of Appeal ruling the ban lawful, those prosecutions can now proceed, and more arrests may follow.
What happens next? Huda Ammori has said she will "fight this all the way", indicating an appeal to the Supreme Court. Until that challenge is resolved, the ban remains in place, and the thousands arrested since July 2025 could face legal consequences. The Home Secretary, now Shabana Mahmood, called the group's actions "not consistent with democratic values and the rule of law", suggesting the government will continue to enforce proscription strictly.