UK Designates Palestine Action Terror Group, Banning Support

The UK Parliament voted overwhelmingly to designate the pro-Palestinian direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000, making it illegal to support or belong to the group, with penalties up to 14 years in prison. This decision, marking the first time a direct action protest group has been proscribed as terrorist in the UK, followed actions by Palestine Action activists targeting military aircraft to disrupt arms supplies to Israel, sparking protests and debates over free speech and legitimate protest. Critics argue the move suppresses dissent, highlighting concerns over media focus on anti-IDF rhetoric over Palestinian civilian casualties, while some MPs abstained, citing discomfort with bundling Palestine Action with neo-Nazi groups also proscribed under the same amendment. Meanwhile, a petition with thousands of signatures calls on the UK Home Secretary to similarly proscribe the Israeli Defence Forces, accusing them of terrorism under the same legal framework due to alleged acts of violence against civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. On the international stage, U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemned Israeli actions in Gaza as a 'genocidal campaign' and urged a global arms embargo and legal accountability, while Israel denies these allegations and rejects cooperation with the U.N. Human Rights Council. The situation highlights deep divisions over definitions of terrorism, protest rights, and responses to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.