UK Palestine Action ban ruled unlawful, in humiliating blow for ministers

Fate of more than 2,500 people, arrested for supporting Palestine Action since proscription, remains in limbo after home secretary said she would appeal against ban

A protester outside the High Court, central London, after the ruling in favour of Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori's challenge over the ban of the organisation as a terror group. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA

Three senior judges in the UK have ruled that the ban on the direct action group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was disproportionate and unlawful, handing the home secretary a humiliating defeat.

Shabana Mahmood was urged to respect the court’s decision after the judges said the ban, introduced by her predecessor Yvette Cooper, impinged on the right to protest and should be quashed.