Amnesty International and civil liberties campaigners on Monday criticized a court ruling upholding the UK government’s decision to ban Palestine Action, arguing that the move represents an alarming expansion of counter-terrorism powers and threatens the right to protest, Anadolu reports.
The UK Court of Appeal ruled Monday that the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was lawful, overturning a previous High Court ruling that found the ban breached the right to protest.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said Monday that it was “not a sustainable proposition to portray Palestine Action as a non-violent organization.”
Tom Southerden, legal program director at Amnesty International UK, said the ruling did not change the organization’s view that the ban amounted to a misuse of terrorism legislation.
“We have long said that the banning of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was a grave misuse of sweeping counter-terrorism powers with serious consequences for human rights, and today’s outcome does not alter that assessment,” Southerden said in a statement.
