British lawmakers voted to ban campaign groups’ Palestinian actions as a “terrorist” organization, raising fears about the country’s freedom of expression.
Congress voted 385-26 on Wednesday in support of the action against the group. After the activist invaded the military base last month, the move sprayed red paint on two planes in protest of British support for Israel’s war with Gaza.
Critics have condemned the calm effect of a ban on putting Palestinian actions on par with armed groups like the UK’s al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), making it a criminal offence to support or make part of protest groups a part.
“Let us be clear. Not only is suicide bombings and paint spray cans ridiculous, they are grotesque. It’s a deliberate distortion of laws that challenge, criminalize solidarity and suppress the truth.”
Zarah Sultana not only opposes the ban on our group, but also declares that we are all Palestinian Action ❤.
– Palestine Action (@pal_action) July 2, 2025
Amnesty International UK CEO Sacha Deshmukh condemned the move as an “unprecedented legal overview” and noted that the authorities “we were able to arrest and restrain people, suppress their remarks and reports, monitor and take other measures.”
“Using them against direct action protest groups is a terrible abuse of what they have created,” he said.
In a report from London, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovich said the protesters gathered outside Westminster had shown “rebellion.”
“[They are] They still find a way to show support and say they won’t be arrested if possible. But even if they were arrested, many of them told us that it wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” she said.
The prohibition order will reach the Senate, a Senate in Congress on Thursday. If approved there, the Palestinian ban on conduct will take effect the following day.
The group, called its ban and “power abuse,” challenged the decision in court and is expected to have an emergency hearing on Friday.
Voting for lawmakers “box-in”
Released in July 2020, Palestine Action said it uses “destructive tactics” to target “corporate enablers” and companies involved in Israeli weapons manufacturing, such as the Israeli-based Elbit System and French multinational Thales.
The UK government has accused the group of causing millions of pounds of damage through its actions.
On Tuesday, the group said activists blocked the entrance to the Elbitsite in Bristol, southwest England. Other members reportedly occupied the rooftop of a subcontractor in Suffolk, eastern England, and the group was associated with Elbitt.
UN experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council had previously urged the UK government to reconsider the threat of banning the group, and thus argued that conduct of property damage should not be considered “terrorism” without intent to risk life.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, UK Minister of Home Affairs, said violence and criminal damage do not exist in legitimate protests and a zero-tolerance approach is needed for national security.
In addition to Palestinian actions, the bans approved by the Congress include the neo-Nazi group’s maniac murder cult and the Russian Imperial movement.
Veselinovich of Al Jazeera said lawmakers feel “boxed” by the vote and have no choice but to ban all three organisations.
“If they voted “No,” that would have meant that the other two organizations they wanted to ban were not banned,” she said.
