US designates UK-based Palestine Action as terrorist group
The US has added UK-based group Palestine Action to its list of specially designated global terrorists, alongside al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The United States has formally designated the UK-based group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, in a move announced jointly by the State Department and the Treasury. The designation places the group on the US list of specially designated global terrorists, a category that includes al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The announcement came as part of a wider push by the Trump administration against what it describes as far-left terrorist organisations. According to US officials, the issue of far-left terrorism has been neglected by successive American administrations, and this year the State Department has stepped up efforts to list such groups in various countries, many of them in Europe.
Alongside Palestine Action, the US also designated a so-called tech collective based in Italy, which it says provides support to other organisations, and another pro-Palestinian group. The Treasury warned that financial institutions and individuals who carry out transactions involving the designated groups, or provide them with support, could face civil or criminal penalties.
The US move follows the British government's decision last year to ban Palestine Action under UK terrorism legislation. That designation has been challenged in British courts. The Home Office has defended its decision, but the group's supporters and rights campaigners have argued that the use of terrorism legislation in this way effectively criminalises dissent.
The US designation means that anyone in the US who provides material support to Palestine Action could face severe legal consequences, including a lifetime ban on certain activities. The group, which has been active in protests and direct action against companies linked to Israel, has not yet commented on the US decision.
On screen
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Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the factual announcement of the US designation, providing context on the Trump administration's broader push against far-left groups and noting the controversy surrounding the UK's earlier ban. The report was neutral and explanatory, with a correspondent in Washington detailing the implications.
- “This was a joint announcement by the US State Department and the US Treasury, which adds Palestine Action, as you say, UK-based group to its list of specially designated global terrorists.”
- “The Trump administration describes it as a far-left group, now designating that as a terrorist organisation based in Italy.”
- “The British government last year banned Palestine Action using terrorism legislation, something the Home Office in the UK is adamantly stuck to, but which both members of the group and its supporters and other rights campaigners have said was, in effect, criminalising dissent as terrorism.”
GB News did not cover the Palestine Action story in the provided transcript. Its segment was entirely focused on Green Party proposals on policing and criminal justice, with no mention of the US designation or related developments.
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.