The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three “violent, far-left terrorist groups”, including the British campaign organisation Palestine Action.
The US Treasury Department said it had named Palestinian Action a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, accusing it of supporting several acts of terrorism since July 2020, including breaking into British military institutions.
Palestine Action describes itself as a direct-action protest group. Britain designated it a terrorist organisation last year after a series of demonstrations at Israel-linked arms factories and a Royal Air Force base. The ban was enforced under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000.
British authorities have since arrested thousands of people who have voiced support for the group. Though the UK High Court initially ruled the government’s ban on the organisation unlawful, this was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June. The UK Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal.
“Palestine Action has promoted its violent, criminal and terrorist acts on social media, encouraging the use of similar tactics internationally, including within the United States and along the US-Mexican border,” the Treasury said in a statement.
Campaigners for Palestine Action want to see the establishment of a Palestinian state, an end to the war in Gaza and for the UK to impose a full arms embargo and sanctions on Israel.
The US also designated Autistici Inventati, which the Treasury described as a far-left organisation based in Italy that “provides a range of technological tools and services to violent left-wing extremist groups, including website-hosting on foreign servers, encrypted email accounts, chat and video conferencing”.
Additionally, the Treasury targeted Masar Badil, calling it a front for, and “inextricably linked” to, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. Samidoun describes itself as a “network of activists” campaigning for the rights of Palestinian prisoners.
The US sanctions essentially cut off the groups and people affected from the American financial system and their assets held in the country will be frozen.
The Trump administration has sought to highlight what it says is a blind spot for what officials claim is a rising wave of left-wing political violence.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month hosted an international summit in Washington aimed at addressing the threat of “far-left political terrorism”.
Since November, Washington has designated four European groups – Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defence – foreign terrorist organisations, offering rewards of up to $10 million for information on their financing.
Human rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have warned the terrorism designations could be used against lawful protest and political opponents rather than genuine security threats.
