The United Nations has issued a stern warning to the UK government over its controversial decision to classify the activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk stated on Thursday that the move may violate international legal standards, raising concerns over the impact on civil liberties and freedom of expression.
Türk highlighted that international definitions of terrorism are narrowly confined to “criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury” aimed at intimidating the public or pressuring governments. However, under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, a terrorist act can also include “serious damage to property”, a provision Türk criticized as overly broad and inconsistent with global standards.
Calling the UK’s decision “disproportionate and unnecessary,” Türk warned that it undermines the rights of individuals associated with or supportive of Palestine Action—many of whom have engaged in peaceful protests, not criminal acts.
Criminalization of dissent and arrests of protestors
The UN’s concerns echo previous warnings from international experts about unjustified labelling of peaceful activism as terrorism. The decision to proscribe the group has already led to arrests across the UK. In mid-July, police detained 42 demonstrators during a sit-in in central London, while another 13 protestors were arrested outside the BBC Cymru Wales building in Cardiff.
Home Office defends ban on Palestine Action
Earlier this month, the UK Parliament voted to list Palestine Action under terrorism legislation, following a draft proscription by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The government cited the group’s “long history of unacceptable criminal damage” as justification for the move.
The decision came shortly after members of Palestine Action allegedly breached a military base in Brize Norton and spray-painted two aircraft in protest of UK arms exports.
As legal and human rights groups continue to scrutinize the government’s stance, the UN’s intervention signals rising international alarm over what critics see as the criminalization of activism in the UK.
