UK courts fail to halt authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action

London – The High Court has today refused to grant an interim relief order, meaning the Home Office’s proscription of Palestine Action will come into effect from midnight tonight. This decision allows the state to continue with one of the most egregious escalations and attacks on civil liberties in British history. It opens another dark chapter in the brutal assault on fundamental freedoms under the guise of anti-terror powers.

Despite this, the legal process is not over. Permission for a full judicial review will still be sought in two weeks’ time, and legal avenues to challenge the proscription remain active.

CAGE International joined hundreds of demonstrators outside the High Court on Friday to protest the targeting of Palestine Action.

Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, said:

“This ruling cements the UK’s trajectory toward becoming a police state with little tolerance for protest that challenges state interests.”

“The proscription of Palestine Action sets a dangerous precedent — it gives the state carte blanche to target any protest that it finds objectionable without any legal constraints. Moreover, it marks the erosion of the fundamental right to protest which has been regarded as an emblem of the democratic nature of British society. In one fell swoop the Labour administration has obliterated the civil liberties framework erected on the back of the sacrifice of thousands of activists over the last 200 years.”

“Despite today’s decision, the struggle continues. Legal efforts to appeal todays decision and seek permission for a full judicial review are underway. The movement to stop the genocide and dismantle the apartheid settler colonial Zionist entity will continue.”