A United Kingdom (UK) Court of Appeal has declared the government’s ban on the protest group Palestine Action to be unlawful. This however, comes as a significant blow to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s counter-terrorism strategy.
Court of Appeal quashes Palestine Action ban
According to a post by Amnesty International UK, the court found the government’s decision to be unlawful. The decision overturns a parliamentary vote from earlier in 2025.
The vote had proscribed the campaign group under the Terrorism Act 2000. It also places the group on the same legal footing as armed jihadi groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
“This matters for everyone. For years, the right to protest has been under sustained and deliberate attack. Thousands of people have been arrested for something that should have never been a crime,” Amnesty UK added.
The move had previously passed through the House of Commons with a commanding majority of 385 votes. However, the Court of Appeal has now squashed that designation, ruling that the government overreached its authority.
Rights groups warn against misuse of terror laws
Human rights groups have hailed the verdict as a crucial defense of civil liberties. Amnesty UK has also stressed the broader implications of the ruling.
The organization accused the previous administration of wielding sweeping counter-terrorism powers to silence critics. The judgment has drawn sharp criticism of the government’s initial decision.
Michael Edwards, a prominent socialist and internationalist figure in the UK, welcomed the court’s intervention.
He said there was never any excuse for this. He also hopes that this is a salutary lesson for all those in government who made such a bad decision and wasted so much police and court time.
The legal victory for pro-Palestinian activists in London, however, stands in stark contrast to the escalating violence on the ground in Gaza.
Additionally, Amnesty International UK has vowed to remain vigilant, pledging to ensure the Government respects both the spirit and the letter of today’s ruling.
In another development, an Israeli court rejected a petition to allow a Five-year-old Gaza child to receive urgent cancer treatment in Israel.
On the other hand, the death toll in Gaza has been rising following an increase in Israeli attacks in the region.