THE ban on Palestine Action came into force at midnight after a High Court judge refused to temporarily block its designation as a terrorist organisation last night.

Mr Justice Chamberlain was delivering his verdict as the Morning Star went to press.

Lawyers for the activist group had accused Home Secretary Yvette Cooper of an “ill-considered, discriminatory and authoritarian abuse of statutory power” by seeking to declare Palestine Action a terrorist group at the High Court today.

Lawyers for the activist group said that the Home Office “has still not sufficiently articulated or evidenced a national security reason that proscription should be brought into effect now.”

To proscribe an organisation, Ms Cooper “has got to believe that the organisation is concerned in terrorism,” said barrister for Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, Raza Husain KC.

He asked the High Court to temporarily block the ban before a potential legal challenge against the decision to proscribe it under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Blinne Ni Ghralaigh KC, also representing Ms Ammori, warned that the effect of the ban would be “far-reaching” and could cause “irreparable harm to large numbers of members of the public,” including causing some to “self-censor.”

Ms Cooper cited Palestine Action’s “long history of unacceptable criminal damage” when she announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, three days after it claimed responsibility for vandalising two Voyager planes at RAF Brize Norton.

High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled: “I have concluded that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.”

The ban makes support for the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. 

MPs voted it through earlier this week while peers backed proscribing the group without a vote.

A regret motion proposed by Green Party peer Jenny Jones criticising the measure was rejected in the Lords by 144 votes to 16, majority 128.

Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told the High Court there was an “insuperable hurdle” in the bid to temporarily block the ban of Palestine Action and that it could challenge the Home Secretary’s decision at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, a specialist tribunal.