Palestine Action has been officially banned after a judge denied the group’s request for an interim injunction to prevent the UK government from proscribing it as a terrorist organization.
On Friday, a High Court judge rejected the initial bid to temporarily halt the ban.
Subsequently, the group challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal, which dismissed the last-minute appeal late Friday evening.
The ban, effective as of Saturday, criminalizes support for Palestine Action, with membership or expressions of support potentially incurring penalties of up to 14 years imprisonment.
A spokesperson for the Home Office released a statement on Saturday welcoming the court’s decision.
In his ruling on Friday, High Court judge Mr. Justice Chamberlain, in denying the temporary block, stated: “I have concluded that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.”
Earlier in the week, a draft order was presented before Parliament seeking an amendment to the Terrorism Act 2000 to formally designate Palestine Action as a proscribed organization.
The decision to ban the group follows an estimated £7 million in damages to aircraft at RAF Brize Norton last month, an action claimed by Palestine Action.
Raza Husain KC, representing Palestine Action’s Ms. Ammori, argued in court that banning the group would be “ill-considered” and constitute an “authoritarian abuse” of power.
“This marks the first instance in our history where a direct action civil disobedience group, not advocating violence, faces proscription as terrorists,” he stated.
In a 26-page judgment, Mr. Justice Chamberlain suggested that some of the concerns voiced by Ms. Ammori and other witnesses were “overstated.”
Following the ruling, Ms. Ammori commented that “thousands of people across Britain wake up tomorrow to find they had been criminalized overnight for supporting a domestic protest group which sprays red paint on warplanes and disrupts Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.”
She added: “We will not stop fighting to defend fundamental rights to free speech and protest in our country and to stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people.”
The group subsequently launched a last-minute challenge at the Court of Appeal, which was unsuccessful late on Friday evening.
In their ruling, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Lord Justice Lewis, and Lord Justice Edis stated: “The merits of the underlying decision to proscribe a particular group is not a matter for the court.”
“This is a matter, under the relevant Act of Parliament, for the Secretary of State, who is accountable to Parliament for the decisions that she makes.”
The court also declined to suspend the ban’s implementation pending any potential appeal to the Supreme Court.
Approximately 81 organizations are currently proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, including Hamas, al-Qaeda, and National Action.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced intentions to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, labeling the vandalism of the two planes as “disgraceful” and citing the group’s “long history of unacceptable criminal damage.”
Mr. Justice Chamberlain noted that an assessment regarding the potential ban of the group had been initiated as early as March, “preceding” the incident at RAF Brize Norton.
Four individuals have been charged in connection with the RAF Brize Norton incident.