The UK government will, for the first time, legally redefine a non-violent protest group, Palestine Action, as a "terrorist organisation" after a last-minute legal challenge to suspend the group's ban under anti-terrorism laws failed at a high court.
As of Saturday, membership in, or showing support for, Palestine Action will become a criminal offence.
The group, known for its direct action campaigns targeting Israeli weapons factories and their UK supply chains, is the first protest organisation to be banned under the UK Terrorism Act.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Huda Ammori, the group's co-founder, had sought to prevent the ban from taking effect, arguing for interim relief ahead of a scheduled judicial review.
However, following a hearing at the high court on Friday, Justice Martin Chamberlain declined to grant the application. He said that an assessment on whether to ban the group had been made as early as March.
"This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists," Raza Husain KC, representing Ammori, told the court.
He said his client has been "inspired" by a long tradition of nonviolent protest in the UK, "from the suffragettes to anti-apartheid activists to Iraq War activists."
Four Palestine Action activists were remanded in custody on Thursday after appearing in court.
'Dystopian nightmare'
UN experts, civil liberties organisations, cultural figures, and hundreds of lawyers have condemned the ban as draconian.
They argue that it sets a dangerous precedent by conflating protest with "terrorism."
Palestine Action said it is seeking "an urgent appeal to prevent a dystopian nightmare which criminalises thousands of people overnight."
Another court hearing is scheduled for July 21, when Palestine Action will apply for permission to launch a judicial review in an effort to overturn the order.
Unless the review is successful, being a member of or inviting support for the group that protests Israeli genocide in Gaza will carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Israel has killed over 57,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, so far in the blockaded enclave.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
