THE government’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling that the decision to ban Palestine Action was unlawful is set to be heard in April.

Three judges ruled in February that the government’s move to proscribe the group was unlawful and said that they “propose to make an order quashing” the decision.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said after the judgment that she was “disappointed” by the outcome and would fight to prevent the ban being lifted.

The Home Office was later given the green light to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.

The appeal is now expected to take place on April 28 and 29 at a hearing in London.

Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 by then home secretary Yvette Cooper last year.

It made it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Huda Ammori, Palestine Action’s co-founder, began legal action against the Home Office over the decision last June.

Her barristers told the High Court last year the ban was an “ill-considered, discriminatory, due process-lacking, authoritarian abuse of statutory power.”