Ruling against Palestine Action ban is embarrassing defeat for the government

Proscription of British direct action group has been fiercely controversial from moment it was proposed last June

The list of those who criticised the ban on Palestine Action and its consequences was disparate to say the least, taking in a Trump administration official, a former director of public prosecutions, a former director of the security services, Home Office officials, politicians of different stripes, and UN experts, not to mention a host of NGOs.

Now a trio of senior judges can be added to the list, after they deemed the ban to be disproportionate" and impinging on freedom of speech and protest when the direct action group's activities could be targeted under the existing criminal law.