UK Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Pro-Palestinian Group 'Palestine Action'

Britain’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld the government’s decision to outlaw the left-wing, anti-Semitic group Palestine Action, reversing an earlier High Court ruling that had found the ban wrongly restricted the right to protest. The judgment is seen as one of the most significant national security rulings in the UK in recent years.

Five Supreme Court justices said the ban struck a “fair balance.” Supreme Court President Baroness Carr said, “Palestine Action promotes unlawful violence that amounts to terrorism,” adding that “there is no sustainable basis for describing it as a non-violent protest group.” She also said the group had not distanced itself from three incidents classified as terrorism.

The ruling means membership in, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offense. Those convicted can face up to 14 years in prison.

The ban took effect in July last year, and since then thousands of people have been arrested during related protests. Despite Monday’s decision, the group is expected to seek another appeal to the UK Supreme Court.