The British Court of Appeal held unanimously on Monday that the government’s designation of Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organization is legal. Following the verdict, the Metropolitan Police arrested 117 protesters from outside the court in support of the pressure group.
The appeals court concluded that the designation stood Proportionality Test – which requires that a political goal outweighs a legal intervention. The court concluded that no less intrusive measures could stop the group’s activities, emphasizing that citizens could still express their support for the Palestinian cause through peaceful protests. However, it found that Palestine Action’s advocacy included damaging property Elbit Systems UK– an Israel-based international military technology company – and its business partners, while allegedly using an “underground manual” to avoid detection. The court ruled that such actions do not qualify as peaceful protest and therefore do not justify constitutional protection. While the court acknowledged that the “terrorist” designation could have a deterrent effect on similar activities, it concluded that the protection of persons and property of others outweighs any interference with the right to peaceful assembly.
The court also found that the Interior Minister can take into account the consequences for police operations if forbid a terrorist organization. It was found that the effectiveness of the ban in law enforcement is an extremely important factor in the balancing exercise and that the Lower court should not have prevented the Government from taking the factor into account, even if it is not expressly mentioned in the directive.
Amnesty International described The ban was described as a “serious abuse of counter-terrorism powers”.
Last Friday Judge Jeremy Johnson was at Woolwich Crown Court told four activists – known as the “Filton 4” – that they would face prison sentences for maintaining a “terrorist link” despite only being convicted of criminal damage. The convictions stemmed from a 2024 break-in at an Elbit Systems factory that resulted in a reported $1.6 million in damages. Johnson realized that they wanted to intimidate the British government to advance a political cause. after to the Guardian.
In response, Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty UK, responded said This is the first time that a damages conviction has been linked to a terrorism sentence. She added: “It is completely disproportionate to punish protesters for criminal harm as if they were terrorists, a punishment that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. The use of terrorism laws against direct protesters must end.”
Originally the British Home Secretary set Palestine action as a terrorist organization on July 5, 2025. Before the order comes into force, Amnesty urged Parliament declined to support it, arguing that Britain’s terrorism laws were too broad and that the designation could mean that wearing a Palestine Action logo could lead to a terrorism charge.
Palestine Action is an organization that advocates for the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty. In addition to breaking into Elbit Systems, the group also had its sights set on the target Thales Defense factory in Glasgow in 2022 and Introduction to precision in 2024, both of which are commercially affiliated with Elbit Systems.
