Palestine Action are very obviously not a terrorist organisation

24 June 2025, 16:39

By Humza Yousaf MSP

Proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is a shameful and dangerous misuse of anti-terror legislation by the UK Government.

Regardless of whether you agree with their tactics, one thing is clear: Palestine Action are very obviously not a terrorist organisation.

Let’s start with the facts. Palestine Action engages in direct action. Yes, they are often disruptive, sometimes their actions are unlawful, but crucially, they are non-violent. Their most recent protest involved spraying red paint on a British military aircraft, symbolising the bloodshed in Gaza.

You may support that kind of protest, or you may find it counterproductive or even oppose it robustly. That’s a legitimate debate. But to suggest that this kind of action constitutes terrorism? That’s an insult to our intelligence and a grave distortion, and abuse, of laws designed to keep us safe from the violent activities of genuine terrorists.

There are already laws in place to prosecute criminal damage. In fact, activists from Palestine Action have routinely been arrested and charged under existing legislation. So, what exactly justifies the leap to proscription, a move usually reserved for violent extremist groups like Boko Haram or the UVF?

The people behind Palestine Action are not terrorists. They are people who are angry, as so many of us are, that a genocide is being carried out in Gaza and that the UK is complicit in it.

Our government continues to licence arms sales to Israel, components from UK factories are being used in the bombing of civilians, and British military jets are reportedly conducting reconnaissance flights which feed intelligence directly to Mossad.

This would be the same Israeli state whose Prime Minister is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

And yet, somehow, it’s the protesters we’re trying to criminalise and label as terrorists?

If you're more outraged by protestors spraying paint on a military aircraft than you are about the UK’s role in arming a regime that is killing children, then I suggest you seriously recalibrate your moral compass.

Proscription has serious consequences. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, being a member of a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

That’s longer than the average sentence for rape, which in 2023 stood at around 9-10 years. It’s significantly longer than the average sentence for domestic abuse or assault. Think about that for a moment. Under this law, a non-violent activist who throws red paint at a weapons factory could face more prison time than a rapist. Is that really proportionate?

And where does it end? Non-violent direct action has a long and proud history in this country. From the suffragettes to the anti-apartheid movement, civil disobedience has often provoked societal and even global change. The government’s move to reframe that tradition as terrorism is not just heavy-handed, it is Orwellian. It’s the start of a slippery slope where political dissent is no longer tolerated, and protest becomes punishable by the full force of the state.

Yes, Palestine Action’s tactics are provocative. That’s the point. Protest is meant to disrupt. But it is not meant to be crushed under laws designed to combat violent extremism. To conflate the two is not just wrong in principle, it undermines the very purpose of those laws.

As far as I can see, Palestine Action has never been involved in any violent action against individuals. Do they really belong on the same list as groups like Hamas, Hezbollah or Al Shabbab? Whatever your views on the geopolitics of the Middle East, I find it hard to believe anyone could answer “yes” to that question in good faith.

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” is a sentiment that lies at the heart of a free society, whether you agree with the cause or not. The right to protest. The right to speak out. The right to dissent. They are fundamental to our democracy.

This move by the UK Government is not about protecting the public, it’s about punishing political protest. It’s about silencing those who are calling out Britain’s complicity in war crimes. It is a threat not just to Palestine Action, but to every citizen who believes in our rights and freedoms.

Whether you agree with Palestine Action or not, you should be deeply alarmed by this abuse of power. Because if we allow the government to brand peaceful protest as terrorism today, then none of us are safe tomorrow.

We must stand up for civil liberties, for human rights, and for the fundamental principle that speaking truth to power should never be a crime.

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Humza Yousaf is Former First Minister of Scotland and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Pollok.

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