UN Experts Criticize UK For Labeling Palestine Action A Terrorist Group

 

United Nations experts joined a wave of international concern on Tuesday, warning that the UK government’s decision to designate the activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization appeared to be an “unjustified labelling of a political protest movement.”

The proposed proscription has sparked widespread backlash from civil society and political figures. Labour MP Zarah Sultana expressed solidarity with the group in a June 24 post on X, writing, “We are all Palestine Action.” Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell also condemned the move, stating that such measures were “not what the counter terrorism laws were introduced for.”

Palestine Action, known for direct-action campaigns against UK-based arms companies linked to Israel, responded sharply to the government’s crackdown. In a June 24 statement, the group called the government's reaction to a recent protest at an air base “unhinged.”

“The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on these war planes, but the war crimes that have been enabled with those planes because of the UK Government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide,” the statement read.

The UK government has yet to formally respond to the UN experts’ warning. The debate over the group’s designation continues to fuel broader concerns about freedom of expression, political dissent, and the limits of counterterrorism legislation.