On February 13, 2026, London’s High Court ruled that the UK government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful and disproportionate. Three senior judges — Victoria Sharp, Jonathan Swift, and Karen Steyn — found that the Home Secretary had failed to follow her own policy when proscribing the group, and that the ban produced “a very significant and unjustified interference” with freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The government had banned Palestine Action in July 2025 following a June 2025 break-in at RAF Brize Norton in which activists vandalized two military aircraft, causing an estimated £7 million in damage, in protest of Britain’s weapons support for Israel. The proscription placed the organization alongside al-Qaeda and Hamas, making membership or expressions of support a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Since the ban took effect, more than 2,700 people were arrested at solidarity protests for holding signs reading “I support Palestine Action.” Nearly 700 were charged under the Terrorism Act. The arrests included elderly and disabled protesters. People were detained for addressing Zoom calls, holding placards, and attending demonstrations where the organization was mentioned. The UN Human Rights Chief had already called the original designation “disproportionate and unnecessary.”

The court did not say Palestine Action was a lawful organization. It said the criminal law already available to prosecute property damage and direct action was sufficient — and that proscribing the group as a terrorist entity went far beyond what the evidence or the government’s own policy allowed. Of hundreds of Palestine Action activities, judges found only three met the statutory definition of terrorism, and even those had “not yet reached the level, scale and persistence” that would justify proscription.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, who brought the challenge, called the ruling “a monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people.” Amnesty International UK said the decision drew “a line in the sand against the misuse of counter-terrorism powers.”

The ban remains in place pending appeal. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would fight the ruling in the Court of Appeal. On February 20, a court granted the government permission to appeal — meaning that thousands of people arrested and charged for peaceful protest remain in legal limbo, and that the question of whether solidarity with Palestinians constitutes terrorism in the United Kingdom is not yet settled.

The government’s position is that it is not criminalizing the Palestinian cause — only this organization. The evidence of 2,700 arrests for holding signs suggests the practical distinction has not held.