Palestine Action ban: Court ruling risks ‘slide into authoritarianism’, warn rights advocates

Palestine Action ban: Court ruling risks ‘slide into authoritarianism’, warn rights advocates Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 06/19/2026 - 09:56 Lawyers and campaigners say the Court of Appeal's deference to the home secretary on national security grounds sets a dangerous precedent for judicial oversight of executive power Police detain a protester opposing the proscription Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, following a Court of Appeal ruling, outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 15 June 2026 (Corey Rudy/Reuters) Off Campaigners and lawyers have warned that the Court of Appeal's ruling finding the ban on Palestine Action to be lawful has further blurred the lines of an already broad definition of terrorism, and that is has “dangerous” implications for the right to protest. On Monday, a five-strong panel of judges rejected a high court’s ruling quashing the ban. In a ruling in February, the High Court found the ban to be unlawful on three grounds: Firstly that then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had breached her own policy in deciding to proscribe.