Palestine Action\u2019s Huda Ammori says Trump\u2019s penalties should be a \u2018wake-up call\u2019 for UK to lift ban on the group.<\/p>\n
The United States has imposed sanctions on the British activist group Palestine Action and the pro-Palestine international movement Masar Badil as the administration of President Donald Trump intensifies a global crackdown<\/a> on critics of Israel.<\/p>\n The US Department of the Treasury also imposed financial penalties on Wednesday against Autistici Inventati, an Italy-based group that provides digital services to left-wing organisations, including pro-Palestine groups.<\/p>\n Palestine Action, which has been locked in a legal battle with the United Kingdom after the British government proscribed it as a \u201cterrorist\u201d group, rejected the US sanctions.<\/p>\n Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori linked the US measures to the UK designation and called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham<\/a> to reverse the ban on the group imposed by his predecessor Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that Trump is now taking inspiration from Britain\u2019s repression of the movement for Palestinian freedom exposes just how dangerous this ban is and should be a wake-up call to anyone who cares about free speech and civil liberties,\u201d Ammori told Al Jazeera in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cBy banning a direct action protest group under terrorism legislation for the first time in British history, Keir Starmer\u2019s Government has created a blueprint for authoritarian governments around the world to suppress political dissent, and to criminalise British citizens who travel or live abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n The UK civil rights group Defend Our Juries echoed Ammori\u2019s comment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve warned since July 2025 that Keir Starmer\u2019s unprecedented ban on Palestine Action would embolden autocrats and demagogues around the world. Today that warning has proved to be well-founded,\u201d it said. \u201cWhilst bowing down to the arms industry and Israel lobby, the UK government has encouraged Trump to escalate his domestic crackdown on civil liberties.\u201d<\/p>\n Palestine Action says it uses direct-action tactics, including vandalism, to end what it sees as complicity in Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza.<\/p>\n While such protests could break the law, rights advocates have argued that the \u201cterrorism\u201d designation is disproportionate and risks chilling free speech.<\/p>\n The UK has arrested thousands of people for showing support for Palestine Action since the group was proscribed last year.<\/p>\n A British court revoked the designation in February, but the decision was overturned<\/a> on appeal in June.<\/p>\n Palestine Action has continued to challenge the ban, taking the case to the UK Supreme Court.<\/p>\n The Trump administration framed Wednesday\u2019s sanctions as part of a push against what it called \u201cfar-left terrorist groups\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cFar-left extremists, their fronts, and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear,\u201d Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent<\/a> said in a statement. \u201cPolitical terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated.\u201d<\/p>\n The sanctions freeze the groups\u2019 assets in the US and make it generally illegal for American citizens to engage in financial transactions with them.<\/p>\n The US has been relying on sanctions to punish supporters of Palestinian rights across the world. Last year, the Trump administration imposed penalties on United Nations rapporteur Francesca Albanese<\/a>.<\/p>\n