The Guardian view on Palestine Action: banning the group was a step too far | Editorial

The high court was right to rule that ministers overstretched terror laws in proscribing direct action. Protest should be policed by criminal lawThe high court last week that the British government’s proscription of Palestine Action is unlawful and disproportionate. Its , however, is hardly one in praise of militant protest. That makes it all the more awkward for ministers. The bench rejected Palestine Action’s claim that it was engaged in Gandhian civil disobedience. The judges also accepted that a number of incidents involved serious property damage that technically satisfied the statutory definition of terrorism.But they were clear and correct: the existing criminal law “is available to prosecute those concerned”. This judicial distinction between terror and crime matters – and is devastating for the government. Ministers, the bench reasoned, can’t ban every organisation that meets the legal terror threshold just because it brings “significant ” to do so.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our section, please .