The Court of Appeal has ruled that the British government acted lawfully and proportionately in banning the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. A five-strong panel, including the two most senior judges in England and Wales, overturned a previous high court decision that had found the proscription unlawful.
The lower court had previously ruled that banning the group had breached free speech rights. However, the Court of Appeal concluded the ban was lawful, with a judge stating that the group's behavior was not that of a non-violent, direct action organization. The proscription makes Palestine Action the first group to be banned under the Terrorism Act, placing it on a government blacklist that includes Hamas and Hezbollah.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the proscription, arguing that supporters of the group were unaware of the full nature of the organization. Meanwhile, the co-founder of Palestine Action has vowed to continue fighting for the ban to be lifted and for an end to the use of terror legislation against the group.