Overview

• The proscription took effect at 00:01 on July 5 under the Terrorism Act 2000, making membership or support for Palestine Action punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
• Metropolitan Police arrested more than 20 people in Parliament Square on July 5 for holding placards supporting the group, enforcing the ban within hours of its commencement.
• The High Court and Court of Appeal rejected emergency applications to pause the proscription, exhausting the group’s legal challenges to delay the designation.
• This is the first time the UK has outlawed a nonviolent direct-action group as a terrorist organisation, extending counter-terror powers to property-damage protests.
• Critics, including UN rights experts and civil liberties organisations, argue the move stretches terrorism definitions and risks chilling lawful dissent.