Britain's High Court says illegal to outlaw protest group Palestine Action

Britains High Court has ruled that the governments decision to outlawed the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful. Last year the UK government declared the pro-Palestinian group a terrorist organisation alongside the likes of al-Qaida and Hamas, making membership in or support for Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Britain's High Court has ruled that the government's decision to outlawed the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful. Judges Victoria Sharp, Jonathan Swift and Karen Steyn said Friday the ban will remain in place while the government considers whether to appeal. Last year the UK government declared the pro-Palestinian group a terrorist organisation alongside the likes of al-Qaida and Hamas, making membership in or support for Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been arrested for holding signs saying ''I support Palestine Action.'' The government banned Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June to protest British military support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars.

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