The British Labour government’s efforts to criminalise solidarity with the Palestinian people suffered a major defeat on 13 February at the Royal Courts of Justice, with the court ruling that the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 was unlawful. This is a victory for the movement and all those who have refused to silence their solidarity with Palestine.
Palestine Action, known for its sabotage of Israeli weapons firms directly enabling the genocide of the Palestinian people, was proscribed in July 2025 following the alleged vandalising of a Royal Air Force aircraft at the RAF Brize Norton airbase. Then Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was adamant that Palestine Action was ‘not a non-violent organisation’ and that the government’s draconian attack on it was fully justified.
Proscription is a favoured tool of the British state, particularly the racist Labour Party which introduced the Terrorism Act. Under the Act, encouraging or showing support for a proscribed organisation constitutes a criminal offence. Over 2,000 people have been arrested for holding signs stating ‘I oppose genocide – I support Palestine Action’ in deliberate contravention of the ban, and are currently being processed through the courts. FRFI supporter Fiona MacLean is the lead defendant in these cases and was due to go on trial at Westminster Magistrates Court on 16 March.
Huda Ammori, one of the founders of Palestine Action, challenged the terrorism designation in the High Court by way of judicial review. The case was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in November 2025. One week before that hearing, Justice Chamberlain – who had initially granted Ammori the permission to appeal against the proscription – was removed from the case and replaced by judges who had previously ruled on the side of the government, and had family links to companies targeted by Palestine Action. This did not appear to augur well for the application and there were widespread fears among activists that the ban would be upheld by the court.
Material considered in the November court hearings included statements from Ben Saul, the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism, and Irish writer Sally Rooney, both arguing against the proscription. Confidential evidence from the government was delivered to the court, which Ammori and her legal team were not allowed to witness – and regarding which Ammori had to be represented by a ‘special advocate’, who was not allowed to tell her what had transpired or the nature of the confidential evidence. Despite all this, the High Court judges found in a unanimous decision that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful – the ban was contrary to the Human Rights Act, as well as the Home Secretary’s own policy.
The fight is far from over. The ban on Palestine Action remains provisionally in force until at least 20 February to allow the government a chance to appeal, a chance which Labour Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has said she is ‘disappointed’ with the verdict, is keen to take.
Meanwhile over two dozen pro-Palestine prisoners remain remanded in prison awaiting trial for direct action which occurred both before and after the proscription of Palestine Action. There are still thousands of activists under investigation who were arrested since the ban came into force, while others have been charged and are set to appear in Magistrates Courts. The draconian Terrorism Act itself remains in force and continues to be used to criminalise activists who support the right of the Palestinian, Kurdish or other oppressed peoples to defend themselves by means of armed struggle. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police threatened to continue repressing protest regardless of the ban, gathering evidence to make arrests later: ‘officers will continue to identify offences where support for Palestine Action is being expressed’.
We must therefore continue the fight to scrap the Terrorism Act in its entirety, as we keep up the struggle in both the courts and the streets for all those who have been prosecuted under it, such as the SOAS 2 and Kwabena Devonish. We oppose all attempts by the British state to criminalise our solidarity with those fighting against imperialism. Free Palestine! Solidarity is not a crime!
