UK court upholds government ban on Palestine Action

[00:00:02]They were carried away by police to cheers and shouts of defiance arrested under British laws on terrorism. They carried no guns. They threatened no violence.

[00:00:13]Their alleged crime, holding placards saying they supported a direct action protest group.

[00:00:20]Palestine Action once more defined as a terrorist organization by British judges on Monday. The court of appeal backing the UK government's move to outlaw the group and overturning an earlier ruling that had found the ban unlawful.

[00:00:36]Palestine Action has increasingly targeted defense companies in Britain with links to Israel. That includes Israel's largest defense firm, Elbit Systems.

[00:00:45]Four activists associated with Palestine Action were given combined sentences of more than 20 years in prison on Friday over a raid they conducted on a factory operated by Elbit Systems.

[00:00:57]Police released footage of the incident as part of that court case. The British government in July 2025 prescribed Palestine Action as a terror group after incidents including attacks on defense and military sites.

[00:01:10]Since then police have arrested thousands at marches across the country with most coming in London.

[00:01:16]>> You're now under arrest under section 13 of the Terrorism Act.

[00:01:20]That's because you're displaying a sign that says you support Palestine Action which is a prescribed terrorist organization.

[00:01:26]>> Many of those arrests have been for demonstrating support for Palestine Action.

[00:01:30]The organization's co-founder successfully argued in court in February the government's prescription was in conflict with British rights on assembly, protest, and freedom of speech.

[00:01:41]Amnesty International called Monday's ruling a deeply shameful chapter in British history and warned about an increasingly predatory global order.

[00:01:51]>> The violations of freedom of expression and freedom of association, particularly when it comes to the expression of solidarity with Palestinians, has been eating away at the democratic foundation of European countries.

[00:02:09]>> The case could now be appealed again and potentially go to the Supreme Court, further delaying the prosecution of hundreds who have been arrested over the last year. This case is about more than Palestine action. It is about politics.

[00:02:22]It is about power and it is about the point at which the state can decide when descent crosses a line.

[00:02:29]In the shadow of Gaza, this is a question that is not just being asked of the courts in Britain, but of the country itself.

[00:02:37]Dolphin Shirazi World outside the Court of Appeal in London.