Palestine Action (UK)

➡️ PALESTINE ACTION - UK Ban of Pro-Palestine Activist Group

Palestine Action (PA) were established in 2020 to disrupt the UK arms industry, which is complicit in the Israeli genocide campaign against Gaza. They are committed to ending global participation in Israel's persecution of the Palestinian people.

In July 2025, members of the British Parliament voted overwhelmingly to classify PA as a terrorist organisation.

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PA have organised hundreds of protests across the UK to raise awareness of the arms industry and the UK government's role in the war on Gaza. Other tactics they have employed include vandalism, occupation of premises, damaging property, chaining themselves to machinery, and destroying equipment.

Elbit Systems and its investors are a primary focus of the organisation as they are one of the biggest suppliers and profiteers of the war.

The actions of PA have led to the arrest of many of their members, including 29 of whom were taken into custody for demonstrating in London one day after the group was designated as a terrorist group.

The terrorist law states that being a member of such a group or expressing support for them could amount to 14 years in prison.

The Ban on Palestine Action

Taking effect on 5th July 2025, this was the first time that the UK has banned a group for carrying out direct action. Under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, even fundraising or wearing one of their shirts could be seen as suspicious.

You can no longer access their website from the UK, it now displays a black screen and the words "Palestine Action is proscribed in Britain. For that reason, the website has been transferred to others in the global movement who are not active in Britain or British nationals."

A court challenge attempted to stop the ruling from taking effect but was denied the following day. Pro-democracy and civil rights activists have labelled the decision an erosion of the fundamental right to protest. The real crimes are surely being committed by Israel, with the help of British weapons.

There are 81 groups currently proscribed in the UK under the same Terrorism Act 2000. The other groups include armed political movements such as Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, and al-Qaeda.

The act, which prompted the government to take more decisive action than previously, came after activists broke into the RAF Brize Norton, an air force base in Southern England. In their highest profile move, they sprayed two aircraft with red paint, resulting in £7 million worth of damage.

Ordinarily, this type of crime would be dealt with as criminal damage, but the new terrorist group categorisation labels this act as terrorism.

Palestine Action's Biggest Wins

Activism and civil disobedience by Palestine Action have prompted four companies in the UK to sever ties with Elbit Systems: Fisher German, iO Associates, Naked Creativity, and Kuehne+Nagel.

They have succeeded in raising awareness of the consequences of working with Elbit. To operate, Elbit requires a complex web of services, including suppliers, transportation, investors, and recruiters. PA remind these companies of their role in the death, destruction, and suffering taking place in Gaza. They are forced to ask themselves if the direct action from PA is sustainable or whether it is smarter to cut their ties with Elbit and avoid further confrontation and damage to their reputation.

As the operations of Palestine Action have now been suspended in the UK, we await to see how the government proceeds with action against other protesters, activists, and human rights supporters.

Author: Rachael Mellor 08.07.25 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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