Dozens Arrested in UK Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Radicals
Over 20 people detained across Britain as London begins enforcing new law against pro-Palestinian extremist network
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British authorities have arrested at least 20 individuals linked to the radical group Palestine Action, following the organization’s official designation as a terrorist group late last week.
The arrests mark the first major enforcement of the new UK law, which criminalizes support for or affiliation with Palestine Action, after the group was blacklisted for its escalating sabotage campaign against British and Israeli defense companies.
The terror designation came into effect at midnight on Friday, just hours after the UK Supreme Court rejected a legal appeal against the government’s decision. As of Sunday, five activists had been detained after vandalizing trucks belonging to the American tech company Cisco, claiming the firm provides technology to the Israeli military.
The group’s most notorious act occurred last month, when members broke into a British military base and defaced two Royal Air Force refueling aircraft using spray paint. That attack, along with previous acts of sabotage—including millions of pounds in damage to defense contractors such as Thales and Elbit Systems—led the UK government to act.
In a Wednesday session, the UK Parliament passed emergency legislation formally listing Palestine Action as a terrorist organization—placing it on par with ISIS and al-Qaeda under British law. The bill received final approval from the House of Lords over the weekend.
Under the new law, any expression of support or involvement with the group is now a criminal offense, carrying significant penalties.
According to officials, the group’s violent actions were a direct response to British support for Israel during the recent war with Iran and ongoing conflict with Hamas.
Unsurprisingly, the move has drawn criticism from the UN Human Rights Council, which condemned the UK’s decision, claiming that Palestine Action had "not endangered lives." British authorities, however, dismissed the criticism, pointing to the group’s growing operational threat and coordination with hostile foreign elements.
The arrests are expected to continue in the coming days as the government clamps down on extremist networks operating under the guise of political protest.