The United States has formally designated Palestine Action, a UK‑based pro‑Palestinian direct‑action network, as a “specially designated global terrorist” organisation, expanding Washington’s crackdown on groups it labels as violent far‑left movements. The designation comes alongside sanctions targeting two additional organisations accused of supporting terrorism, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s approach to political activism linked to the Israel–Palestine conflict.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, has carried out numerous disruptive protests aimed at shutting down facilities linked to Israel’s defence industry. The group is currently appealing a UK government ban that has resulted in thousands of arrests. Rights organisations have criticised the ban, arguing it criminalises dissent and conflates civil disobedience with terrorism. Palestine Action says its mission is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime,” and its visibility has grown sharply since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza.
The US also designated Italy‑based Autistici/Inventati (A/I Collective) and the pro‑Palestinian Masar Badil movement as terrorist organisations. State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot described all three as “violent far‑left terrorist groups.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would use “the full weight of our economic tools” to dismantle their financial networks, adding that “political terrorism has no place in our society.”
The moves reflect a broader effort by Washington to target groups it views as destabilising. In April, Amnesty International warned that leaders of the US, Israel and Russia were imposing a new “predatory” world order through crackdowns on dissent, raising concerns about shrinking civic space and the expanding definition of terrorism.