Within minutes of judges ruling that the UK government's ban on Palestine Action was lawful, police officers moved through a crowd of supporters gathered outside London's Royal Courts of Justice, arresting protesters holding signs reading: "SAVING LIVES IS NOT TERRORISM. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION."
By the end of the day, the Metropolitan Police said 58 people had been arrested for allegedly expressing support for a proscribed organisation, with further arrests under way.
For Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori , Monday's ruling marked the beginning of the next legal battle rather than the end of the current one.
"I will appeal to the Supreme Court and take it up to the European Court of Human Rights , if needs be," Ammori wrote on X after the judgment was handed down. "This fight can only be won by the people."
In a separate post , the activist said the ruling was not a defeat, arguing that Palestine Action "was so effective" in its direct action against the Israeli weapons industry that "the state threw all its might at us".
Ammori was not present in court. Instead, her spokesperson, British-Syrian author Lisa Minerva Luxx, read a statement to supporters gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
"We will fight this all the way," Luxx said, adding that the campaign would seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, take the case to the European Court of Human Rights . Court backs government ban The Court of Appeal overturned February's High Court ruling, which had found the proscription unlawful .
On Monday, five judges concluded that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper 's decision to ban Palestine Action on 5 July 2025 was lawful.
Delivering the judgment, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said it was a "fundamental mistake to overlook" that Palestine Action "overtly promotes unlawful violence amounting to terrorism".
She described the group as a "covert organisation" operating in "secret cells" which "avoids the detection and prosecution of those using violence to destroy property and cause injury".
Carr said the ban had been "justified and proportionate".
The judge added that Cooper had the "institutional competence and the democratic accountability to make the decision" and that the proscription was consistent with government policy.
"It was not unlawful," Carr said.
Commenting on the earlier February ruling, Carr said the court had previously taken the wrong approach when assessing proportionality. 'A massive headache for British courts' Outside the court, critics of the ruling warned it would deepen tensions around protest rights and Britain's response to Israel's war on Gaza.
"What the Court of Appeal has done today is create an ongoing massive headache, not only for British policing, but for the British courts," Tim Crosland, founder of Defend Our Juries, told The New Arab. "[The court] allowed themselves to be complicit in that genocide by themselves actively suppressing the opposition to it, treating as terrorists the people who are saving lives by destroying the drones that are going to be used to take innocent lives and to break international law. So that is the really shocking thing," Crosland said.
"That movement is only going to grow and get stronger as a result of this ruling, and it's a way that people can come together and can stand up for what is right and can stand up for the rule of law," he added.
"I think there is a very real concern about democracy in this country, but also about the capacity of our supposedly democratic institutions, like parliament and the courts, to protect us from the worst crimes of all, which are crimes against humanity, which are crimes against us all." Filton 25 activists react Among those attending the hearing was Zoe Rogers , one of the activists acquitted after taking action against an Elbit Systems facility in Bristol and a member of the Filton 25.
Speaking to The New Arab, Rogers linked Monday's decision to the sentencing of Palestine Action activists last week.
"It's not surprising that this decision has come out just a handful of days after my co-defendants have now been sentenced as "terrorists", despite the fact that a terrorism charge never went before any jury," Rogers said.
She said she was unsurprised by the outcome.
"I wasn't surprised, because this is exactly the same legal system that is allowing the supply of weapons to Israel and continues to defend the export of F-35 parts."
"[The ruling's] a massive crackdown on civil liberties, and it's especially shocking that it's coming from a former human rights lawyer who defended direct actionists," she said, referring to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"I think what we're seeing is that people are not afraid, people are not complying. After the prescription passed into action, we saw people continue to take direct action, and I think we'll start to see the same thing now. People know that direct action is not terrorism, but it's actually about saving lives." Protesters arrested for expressing support As the ruling was handed down, hundreds of supporters remained outside court chanting and holding placards in support of Palestine Action.
Among them was veteran activist Peter Tatchell.
"Today's decision is another blow to the right to protest and freedom of expression," Tatchell told The New Arab. "It is wrong in law, it's wrong morally and ethically. We have to take a stand against those who are killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza and in the West Bank."
"It is so important that now, when there is still Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, that we stand in solidarity with Palestinians and show the world, and our own people, that we will not back down."
Carr noted during proceedings that displaying support for Palestine Action would remain unlawful under the proscription order.
The Metropolitan Police later reiterated that position, writing on X that the ruling "means that expressing support for the organisation remains a criminal offence and officers will arrest those who break the law".
Police soon began arresting demonstrators carrying Palestine Action signs.
Speaking to The New Arab moments before being detained, one protester said simply:
"I support Palestine Action."
"They're [Met police] quite simply arresting people for holding signs saying saving lives is not terrorism. Aiding and abetting a genocide, not terrorism, apparently."
As officers carried protesters away, supporters applauded and thanked those being arrested.
The Metropolitan Police later said 58 people had been arrested on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, with further arrests under way. The arrests add to more than 3,400 people already detained under the Terrorism Act 2000.