LONDON -- The British Court of Appeal ruled on Monday that the government's proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was lawful, overturning an earlier High Court judgment that had found the ban unlawful.
In one of the most closely watched national security cases in Britain in recent years, five senior judges concluded that the government's decision to ban the group had "struck a fair balance" between national security considerations and rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr said in the judgment that it was not a "sustainable proposition" to describe Palestine Action as a non-violent protest group.
"Palestine Action openly promotes unlawful violence that amounts to terrorism," she said.
The ruling reversed a February decision by the High Court.
