PEERS backed calls to Palestine Action under terrorism laws.
Green peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb led arguments against proscribing Palestine Action, after MPs voted the previous day to ban the group.
She accused the UK Government of being a “little bit sneaky” by grouping the organisation in with Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, which were banned under the same order.
Baroness Jones said Palestine Action’s actions were not of the “same calibre of evil” as the two other groups, noting that the group’s blockades on buildings and raids did not represent a “pattern of serious violence”.
Her motion of "regret", which criticised the inclusion of Palestine Action in the motion, was voted down and the original motion approving the Government's proscription order was passed on the nod.
Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint set out the UK Government’s reasons for the proscription order to the upper house, outlining the group’s history of causing property damage and accused members of committing violent crimes.
Also speaking against the Government motion was Lord Hain, former Northern Ireland secretary, who compared Palestine Action with the suffragettes and Nelson Mandela (below), contrasting their actions with those of “real terrorists” like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
A number of other peers, including from the Labour benches, raised concerns about the impact of freedom of speech, because expressing support for the group or wearing clothes with the group's branding can result in a prison sentence.
A person found to be a member of the group or a person who expresses support for it faces a 14-year jail sentence. Someone wearing Palestine Action-branded clothing could face a six-month sentence or a £5000 fine.
Baroness Jones said: "There’s a long and noble tradition of the use of direct action by protest movements, that includes the suffragettes.
“And yesterday we celebrated the anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act, when women were finally given the right to vote. Also the anti-Apartheid protests, Greenpeace and peace campaigners like CND and the Women of Greenham Common. Under your proposal, would they also be respectively branded as terrorists?
“And what about Queen Boudica, a freedom fighter for British tribes under the Roman yoke? This Government would call her a terrorist and say there’s no place in British society for her either.”
Lord Hain added: "Frankly, Palestine Action members spraying paint on military aircraft in Brize Norton seems positively moderate by comparison with what the Suffragettes did.”
Palestine Action have previously said they will appeal on Friday for "interim relief to stop the ban taking effect".
It comes as four people appeared in court charged with breaking into RAF Brize Norton on June 20.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22 were remanded in custody after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
The incident in Oxfordshire caused about £7 million worth of damage to the aircraft on June 20, police said previously.
