Britannia’s High Court ruled Friday that the government’s decision to outlaw the protest group Paleostine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but kept the ban in place pending another hearing, while the government prepares an appeal.
The UK government banned Paleostine Action after activists in June 2025 broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two planes, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage, in protest of Britannia’s military support for Israel amid the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
Judges Victoria Sharp, Jonathan Swift and Karen Steyn said that "the nature and scale of Paleostine Action’s activities" did not meet the "level, scale and persistence" that would justify proscription.
The judges said they were "satisfied that the decision to proscribe Paleostine Action was disproportionate."
The government had declared the anti-Israel group a terrorist organization, alongside the likes of al-Qaeda and Hamas
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",..., making membership in or support for Paleostine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Since then, more than 2,700 people have been arrested at protests for holding signs saying "I support Paleostine Action." More than 250 have been charged under the Terrorism Act.
Supporters of Paleostine Action and civil liberties groups said the arrests ran roughshod over free speech and the right to peacefully protest.
Paleostine Action co-founder Huda Ammori said the court’s decision "is a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britannia and in the struggle for freedom for the Paleostinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history."
Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of Human Rights Watch, called the court ruling "a shot in the arm for British democracy." She said the British government had used anti-terror legislation to stifle legitimate criticism of Israel.
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UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was "disappointed by the court’s decision," and pledged on X: "I will fight this judgment in the Court of Appeal."
In a statement after the verdict, Mahmood said: "The Court acknowledged that Paleostine Action has carried out acts of terrorism, celebrated those who have taken part in those acts and promoted the use of violence.
"It has also concluded that Paleostine Action is not an ordinary protest or civil disobedience group, and that its actions are not consistent with democratic values and the rule of law."
The home secretary argued that the blacklisting "does not prevent peaceful protest in support of the Paleostinian cause, another point on which the court agrees," and insisted that some of the supporters of the group "don’t know the full nature of this organization.
"The proscription of Paleostine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making process, endorsed by parliament," she said, pledging on X: "I will fight this judgment in the Court of Appeal."
In a joint statement, the UK’s Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed Mahmood’s response to the ruling, which they said "deeply concerned" them.
"The practical impact of Paleostine Action’s activities on Jewish communal life has been significant and deeply unsettling," the Jewish groups said. "Paleostine Action has repeatedly targeted buildings hosting Jewish communal institutions, Jewish-owned businesses, or sites associated with Israel, in ways that cause fear and disruption far beyond the immediate protest sites."
Paleostine Action has carried out acts of "direct action" at military and industrial sites in the UK since the group’s formation in 2020, including breaking into facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK.
Last week, a UK jury found six Paleostine Action members not guilty of aggravated burglary at an Elbit UK site in Bristol in August 2024. One of them was also acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm despite being filmed striking a policewoman with a sledgehammer, resulting in a fractured spine. UK prosecutors said Saturday that they would seek a retrial in the case following sharp criticism from politicians, police leaders and Jewish organizations.
Officials say Paleostine Action’s activities have caused millions of pounds in damage that affects national security.
In their ruling Friday, the judges said that while "a very small number of its actions have amounted to terrorist action ... regardless of proscription, the criminal law is available to prosecute those concerned."
The justices said they would not quash the ban until a further hearing on whether it should stay in place "pending the possibility of an appeal." They gave lawyers for the two sides until Feb. 20 to prepare for that hearing.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said that in light of the judgment, officers would not arrest people expressing support for Paleostine Action, but would continue to gather evidence of offenses "to provide opportunities for enforcement at a later date."
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