The Group Britain Just Branded ‘Terrorist’

The British Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to designate the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, a move that has sparked widespread concern over the future of free expression and dissent in the United Kingdom.

On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, lawmakers in the House of Commons passed the proscription order by a margin of 385 to 26.

This follows a series of direct-action protests by the group, including an incident last month where activists broke into a UK military base.

They reportedly sprayed red paint on two aircraft in protest against British support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The decision places Palestine Action in the same legal category as extremist organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIS, making it a criminal offense to support, join, or promote the group.

Human rights advocates and civil liberties organizations have condemned the move as a dangerous escalation that could suppress legitimate activism.

“This is a grotesque distortion of justice,” said Zarah Sultana, a Labour Party MP, during parliamentary debate.

“To compare protestors using paint to terrorists using bombs is not only absurd—it’s a calculated attempt to intimidate dissent and criminalize solidarity with Palestine.”

Amnesty International UK also strongly criticized the measure.

Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh described it as “unprecedented legal overreach.”

Deshmukh argued that it gives the UK government sweeping powers to detain activists, silence public discourse, and monitor peaceful protestors.

“Using these tools against a protest group undermines the principles they were created to protect,” he said.

Outside Westminster, demonstrators gathered in defiance of the new designation.

According to Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic, many protesters expressed their determination to continue their activism, despite the threat of arrest.

“Several told us they were prepared to be detained if necessary, and that continuing their cause was worth the risk,” she reported.

The measure will now be reviewed by the House of Lords on Thursday.

If it receives approval, the ban will be enacted within days.

In response, Palestine Action has filed a legal challenge, calling the decision an “abuse of power,” with an emergency court hearing scheduled for Friday.

Founded in July 2020, Palestine Action is known for its aggressive campaign tactics aimed at companies that it claims support Israel’s military operations.

These include Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems and French arms manufacturer Thales.

The group has staged numerous high-profile protests, including occupying factory rooftops and blockading entrances to production facilities.

The UK government has accused the group of causing millions of pounds in damage to both private and public property.

Just a day before the parliamentary vote, activists from the group reportedly blocked access to an Elbit site in Bristol.

They also climbed onto the roof of a subcontractor’s building in Suffolk, which they allege has ties to Israel’s defense industry.

Despite the government’s framing of these actions as dangerous and destructive, a group of UN human rights experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, has urged the UK to reconsider the ban.

They argue that acts of civil disobedience involving property damage, when not intended to harm or kill, should not be classified as terrorism under international law.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the government’s stance, insisting that while protest is a democratic right, violence and criminal acts are not acceptable.

“We must take a zero-tolerance approach where national security is at stake,” she said.

The proscription order also includes two other extremist groups: the Maniacs Murder Cult, a neo-Nazi organization, and the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist group that advocates for the re-establishment of a Russian empire.

According to Al Jazeera’s Veselinovic, some lawmakers felt politically constrained by the way the proscription was bundled.

“Many MPs believed they had no choice,” she noted.

“Rejecting the motion would have meant failing to ban two white supremacist groups that clearly posed a threat.”

As the legal and political fallout unfolds, civil liberties advocates warn that this moment could mark a turning point in how protest is treated in the UK.

For Palestine Action and its supporters, the road ahead will now include navigating a legal landscape where acts of protest risk being treated as acts of terrorism.

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