Activist group Palestine Action has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, and being a member of the group, or showing support for them, is now considered a criminal offense. The group has attempted to protest Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestine by targeting the supply chains of weapon factories throughout the U.K. But now the group has been banned altogether.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Palestine Action is a national activist network promoting civil disobedience and direct action against companies and institutions colluding with Israel to enforce apartheid, occupation, colonization, and genocide in Palestine.
The U.K. federal government has deemed the group “terrorist” due to the fact that some members have allegedly caused criminal damage to properties, including military bases and arms companies.
“While there is no binding definition of terrorism in international law, best practice international standards limit terrorism to criminal acts intended to cause death, serious personal injury, or hostage taking in order to intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do, or to abstain from doing any act,” UN experts said.“The U.K. supported this approach in voting for Security Council resolution 1566 in 2004…mere property damage, without endangering life, is not sufficiently serious to qualify as terrorism.”
With the recent decision, the U.K. risks endangering free speech, one of the country’s fundamental rights enshrined in the Human Rights Act of 1998. Efforts from superpowers like the U.S. to silence whistleblowers and on-the-ground journalists in Gaza have been seen across social platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Many users who post content from Gaza or about the suffering of Palestinians reported sudden drops in views, suggesting they were shadow banned on the apps. In addition, major news outlets have been accused of biased reporting on the actions of Israel against Palestinians.
“Protest actions that are not genuinely ‘terrorist,’ but which involve alleged property damage, should be properly investigated as ordinary crimes or other security offenses,” the UN said.
The UN is not the only body concerned with the ramifications of “conflating protest with terrorism.” The U.K.’s efforts have also been condemned by hundreds of lawyers. Those who signed the letter addressed to British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper agreed that the ban sets a “dangerous precedent.”
“Proscription of a direct-action protest group is an unprecedented and extremely regressive step for civil liberties,” the lawyers wrote. “The conflation of protest and terrorism is the hallmark of authoritarian regimes. Our government has stated that it is committed to respecting the rule of law: this must include the right to protest.”
The longer the ban stands the more U.K. citizens’ very right to express disagreement with the state of Israel and other world conflicts remains at stake.
Anyone in the U.K. showing support for Palestine Action is subject to arrest and imprisonment.
