4th July 2025
The Liberal Democrats are the party of civil liberties. We oppose government overreach and seek to defend the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The UK Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation poses a grave threat to these fundamental rights and represents a dangerous expansion of counterterrorism powers.
The definition of terrorism is intended to cover acts that cause death, serious personal injury or hostage taking. Palestine Action is a non violent direct-action group targeting companies complicit in the Israeli military-industrial complex. Its methods include occupying premises and damaging factory or military equipment. The persons accused of the actions at Brize Norton were not charged with terrorism offences. LDFP believes that existing criminal legislation more than covers their actions and any offences should be dealt with as a criminal matter.
This would be the first time the UK has proscribed a group based solely on property damage. Such a move risks setting a dangerous precedent in which any politically inconvenient protest could be treated as terrorism. That is wrong in principle and threatens to erode the space for legitimate political dissent.
If Palestine Action is proscribed, then members and supporters could face up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Individuals could be jailed merely for expressing their support for the group, wearing a logo affiliated with them, or sharing a post endorsing their work on social media. This is a grossly disproportionate response. It would have a chilling effect on the ability of UK citizens to campaign for Palestinian rights and speak out against UK complicity in Israeli war crimes.
Many see this as a calculated distraction from the government, including from the massive breach of security at the base at a time of high risk due to the Iran-Israel war. But it is also a distraction from Israel’s atrocities on Palestinians in Gaza, including systematic killing, starvation, and forced dispossession. We must not allow our attention to be diverted. Instead of targeting protest groups at home, the UK Government should focus on upholding international law and using every means available to help end Israel’s atrocities.
The Liberal Democrats are committed to upholding democracy, human rights, and international law. The proscription of Palestine Action undermines those values. We urge all Liberal Democrat parliamentarians to actively oppose it.