Palestine Action Isn’t Terrorism, Says UN in Rare Rebuke of UK Policy
The UK seems ready to call anything terror, except Israel's Genocide against the Palestinian people
The United Nations has issued a rare and pointed condemnation of the United Kingdom over its recent decision to classify the direct-action protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. In a statement from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, the ban was called a "disturbing misuse" of counterterrorism laws that infringes on fundamental democratic rights.
The UK government officially proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000, citing its campaign against arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, whose weapons have been linked to Israeli military operations in Gaza. The group is known for occupying, spray-painting, and disrupting facilities tied to Elbit, as well as targeting government buildings and symbolic sites. No deaths or injuries have ever been caused by their actions.
Volker Türk warned that the move stretches the definition of terrorism far beyond its internationally agreed scope. The designation criminalizes not only the activists but anyone who expresses support for or associates with the group—including peaceful protestors. Wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt or sharing a post online could now result in up to 14 years in prison.
The UN said the ban represents a dangerous precedent that could be used to silence dissent and criminalize nonviolent resistance. It called on the UK to repeal the proscription, halt all ongoing prosecutions connected to it, and bring its counterterrorism framework in line with international human rights standards.
Human rights groups in the UK have echoed the UN’s alarm. Civil liberties advocates, legal scholars, and protest groups have accused the government of attempting to suppress Palestine solidarity through legal overreach. Some have pointed to the political context—including the UK's arms trade ties with Israel and rising domestic protest pressure—as the real motivation for the ban.
Palestine Action has stated that the ban only validates the urgency of their campaign. The group continues to call for the shutdown of Elbit Systems' UK operations and an end to British complicity in Israeli war crimes. Their legal team is currently challenging the proscription in court.
The UK government has not responded to the UN statement but insists that the designation is justified on the basis of repeated property damage and disruption.
For many observers, the issue is clear: this is not about terrorism. It is about the state labeling dissent as extremism, and the growing global discomfort with those willing to call that out.