UN Warns UK Against Misusing Terror Laws on Protests
GENEVA – UN experts* today urged the United Kingdom not to ban the “direct action” group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000.
“We are concerned at the unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as ‘terrorist’,” the experts said. “According to international standards, acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism.”
The Government asserts that the group is “terrorist” because some members have allegedly caused criminal damage to property, including at military bases and arms companies, with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government. Proscription would trigger a range of criminal offences relating to support for the group.
Palestine Action positions itself as a national activist network that promotes civil disobedience and takes direct action against companies and institutions deemed by the group as being used by Israel to violently enforce apartheid, occupation, colonisation and genocide in Palestine.
“While there is no binding definition of terrorism in international law, best practice international standards limit terrorism to criminal acts intended to cause death, serious personal injury or hostage taking, in order to intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organisation to do or to abstain from doing any act,” the experts said.
“The UK supported this approach in voting for Security Council resolution 1566 in 2004,” they said. “Mere property damage, without endangering life, is not sufficiently serious to qualify as terrorism.”
The experts noted that, if national law criminalises property damage as terrorism, as it does in the UK, then it would be good international practice in a democracy to exclude acts of advocacy, protest, dissent or industrial action that do not result in death or serious injury. The Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate supports this approach.
“Protest actions that are not genuinely ‘terrorist’, but which involve alleged property damage, should be properly investigated as ordinary crimes or other security offences,” they said.
Banning Palestine Action would make criminal offences out of actions relating to the group, including membership, inviting support for it, arranging a meeting in support of it and publicly wearing clothing or carrying articles associated with the group. The experts warned disproportionate penalties of up to 14 years in prison could apply.
“These offences would criminalise legitimate activities by innocent members of the group that do not contribute in any way to property damage by other members, let alone ‘terrorism’ which, if properly defined, the group has not committed,” they said.
“Individuals could be prosecuted for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and opinion, assembly, association and participation in political life. This would have a chilling effect on political protest and advocacy generally in relation to defending human rights in Palestine.”
The experts have been in contact with the UK Government in relation to this issue.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest