The UK Court of Appeal held unanimously on Monday that the government’s designation of Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organization is lawful. Following the ruling, the Metropolitan Police arrested 117 protesters from outside the court for supporting the advocacy group.
The appellate court concluded that the designation passed the proportionality test—which requires a policy objective to outweigh a right encroachment. The court found no less intrusive measures could halt the group’s activities, and emphasized that citizens may still voice support for the Palestinian cause through peaceful protests. However, it noted that Palestine Action’s advocacy involved damaging property belonging to Elbit Systems UK—an Israel-based international military technology company—and its business partners, while allegedly using an “Underground Manual” to avoid detection. The court ruled that such actions do not qualify as peaceful protest and thus do not warrant constitutional protection. While the court acknowledged that the “terrorist” designation could have a chilling effect on similar activism, it held that protecting third-party individuals and property outweighs any detriment to the right of peaceful assembly.
The court also found that the Home Secretary may consider the consequences for police operations when proscribing a terrorist organization. It stated that the effectiveness of the proscription in law enforcement is a highly significant factor in the balancing exercise, and that the lower court should not have prevented the government from considering the factor, even if it is not explicitly listed in the policy.
Amnesty International described the ban as “a grave misuse of counter-terrorism powers.”
Last Friday, Justice Jeremy Johnson at the Woolwich Crown Court told four activists—known as the “Filton 4″—that they would face prison sentences for maintaining a “terrorist connection,” despite being convicted only of criminal damage. The convictions arose from a 2024 break-in of an Elbit Systems factory, which resulted in $1.6 million reported damage. Johnson found that they intended to intimidate the UK government to advance a political cause, according to The Guardian.
In response, Amnesty’s UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri said this marks the first time a criminal damage conviction has been linked to a terrorism penalty. She added: “It is completely disproportionate to punish protesters for criminal damage as if they were terrorists, a sentence that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. The use of terrorism laws against direct action protesters must end.”
The UK Home Secretary originally designated Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on July 5, 2025. Before the order took effect, Amnesty urged Parliament not to support it, arguing that UK terrorism laws are overly broad, and that the designation could mean wearing a Palestine Action logo might result in a terrorism charge.
Palestine Action is an organization advocating for the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty. In addition to the Elbit Systems break-in, the group also targeted the Thales defense factory in Glasgow in 2022, and Instro Precision in 2024, both of which have business ties to Elbit Systems.
