US designates UK-based Palestine Action and two other groups as foreign 'terrorist' organizations

The United States government on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, designated the UK-based direct action movement Palestine Action as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organization.

The action, announced jointly by the State and Treasury Departments, also targeted Italy-based technology collective Autistici/Inventati and the transnational pro-Palestinian network Masar Badil, marking an escalation in the Trump administration's campaign against far-left and pro-Palestinian activist groups.

Why did the US Treasury and State Departments issue the terrorist designations?

Federal authorities executed the designations pursuant to Executive Order 13224, freezing all US-based assets belonging to the groups and prohibiting US citizens and financial institutions from conducting business with them. The Treasury Department accused Palestine Action of promoting "violent, criminal, and terrorist acts" on social media and encouraging direct action tactics targeting defense infrastructure in the UK and internationally.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the decision as a decisive blow against "violent far-left terrorist networks". Rubio asserted that Autistici/Inventati provided encrypted digital services used by violent Antifa networks, while federal officials alleged Masar Badil operates as a front entity for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

According to reporting by The Guardian and The Times of Israel, the US designation aligns Washington with the British government, which proscribed Palestine Action under the UK Terrorism Act 2000 in July 2025 following direct-action campaigns against UK facilities operated by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems and a break-in at an RAF airbase.

How did Palestine Action and civil rights advocates respond to the sanctions?

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori strongly denounced the US terror designation. Ammori stated that the group's actions have always focused on disrupting weapons supply pipelines to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza, warning that using counterterrorism frameworks against protest groups sets a dangerous global precedent that criminalizes civil dissent and free speech.

Israel's Foreign Ministry welcomed the US sanctions, issuing a statement praising Washington for cutting off illicit funding lifelines and accusing direct-action groups of abusing civil society platforms to cover violent operations.

Coverage from Anadolu Agency and The National notes that the US designation arrives as the UK Supreme Court prepares to hear an appeal challenging the legality of Britain's initial proscription. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, warned that expanding terror designations to non-state protest networks represents a troubling erosion of international civil liberties.