US designates Palestine Action a terrorist group, drawing UN condemnation

The US Treasury Department designated the UK-based activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on August 26, 2026, freezing its assets as part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on "far-left terror." The move, which follows a similar UK ban in 2025, drew sharp condemnation from the UN human rights office, which called it a disproportionate restriction on free speech. Palestine Action, known for damaging Israel-linked defense firms, is currently appealing its UK ban in the Supreme Court.

US terrorist designation

• ▪The United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Italy-based Autistici Inventati, accusing it of providing digital tools and hosting services to violent left-wing groups.
• ▪The United States sanctions freeze any US-based assets of the designated groups and prohibit United States citizens and entities from conducting financial transactions with them.
• ▪The United States Department of the Treasury designated the UK-based activist group Palestine Action as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on August 26, 2026.
• ▪The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Masar Badil on August 26, 2026, alleging the transnational group operates as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Trump far-left counterterrorism policy

• ▪Donald Trump vowed to target left-wing groups following the killing of conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk in 2025.
• ▪Democratic lawmakers raised concerns that the Donald Trump administration is politicizing counterterrorism efforts and diverting resources away from other extremist threats.
• ▪United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted an international summit in July 2026 to refocus global counterterrorism efforts on what the administration calls far-left political terrorism.

UK proscription legal challenge

• ▪The United Kingdom proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act 2000 in July 2025, making support for the group illegal.
• ▪The United Kingdom Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by Palestine Action challenging the lawfulness of the British government's ban on the group.
• ▪British authorities have arrested thousands of people for allegedly demonstrating support for Palestine Action since the group was banned in the United Kingdom.

UN human rights condemnation

• ▪The United Nations human rights office under Volker Turk condemned the United States designation of Palestine Action, calling it a disproportionate and unnecessary restriction on free speech.
• ▪United Nations Special Rapporteur Ben Saul and UN expert Francesca Albanese raised concerns that the United States designation of Palestine Action aims to silence critics of Israel.

Palestine Action direct action tactics

• ▪Palestine Action uses direct-action tactics, including vandalism and property damage, to target Israel-linked defense companies in the United Kingdom, such as Elbit Systems.
• ▪Four members of Palestine Action were jailed in June 2026 for a break-in at a defense firm that caused over 1 million pounds in damage.
• ▪Palestine Action activists broke into the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton base in June 2025, damaging two military planes prior to the group's UK ban.