"Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she will fight to prevent the proscription being lifted and the case could have implications for thousands of people arrested for supporting the group at protests across the country. The ban remains in place for now and the Government will appeal but the Metropolitan Police indicated officers were unlikely to arrest people simply for showing support for Palestine Action until the legal situation was clarified."
"The ban made it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In a 46-page ruling on Friday, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn, said: "We are satisfied that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was disproportionate. "At its core, Palestine Action is an organisation that promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality. A very small number of its actions have amounted to terrorist action.""
The High Court ruled that proscribing Palestine Action was disproportionate while acknowledging a very small number of the group’s actions amounted to terrorism. The ban remains in force for now and the Government will appeal, while the Metropolitan Police said officers were unlikely to arrest people merely for showing support until legal clarity. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would fight to prevent the proscription being lifted and officials warned the ruling could limit future discretion to ban organisations. Palestine Action has carried out 385 direct actions since 2020; more than 2,700 arrests were reported for showing support.
Read at Irish Independent
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