On August 26, the United States Treasury declared Britain-based activist network Palestine Action as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” and imposed heavy sanctions upon its members. This new attack came as a part of the Trump administration’s campaign against groups it accuses of belonging to the “violent far-left terrorist networks.”
“Far-left extremists, their fronts and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear,” said Scott Bessent, secretary of the treasury. “Political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated.”
Palestine Action is a decentralized network with the stated goal of “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.” Since its founding in 2020, it had mounted many non-violent actions disrupting British imperialism’s arms production and military aid to Israel. While more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in the latest episode of Israel’s genocidal war since 2023, not a single casualty has been claimed by Palestine Action.
Two other groups, Italy-based Autistici Inventati (known for hosting the blog website Noblog.org), and the international network Masar Badil (Alternative Palestinian Revolutionary Path Movement) were also sanctioned. Especially, Masar Badil was branded as a “front” of the human rights organization Samidoun which had been designated a terrorist organization in 2024.
In the UK, multiple Palestine Action activists have already been imprisoned on terrorism charges, with more than 3,000 arrested simply for expressing their support for the group. In 2025, eight pro-Palestine prisoners imprisoned on trumped-up charges launched a hunger strike in protest of inhumane conditions, criminalization of Palestine Action, and the continued genocide against the Palestinian people.
Fascistization and Repression
These renewed attacks of US imperialism, in close coordination with British imperialism, represents yet another step forward in fascistization and the further erosion of democratic rights. They come at a time when US imperialism’s plan in the Middle East is increasingly frustrated by the just and unwavering resistance of the Iranian, Palestinian, and Lebanese people.
US imperialism launched the war of aggression against Iran in hope of soothing class contradictions domestically and securing control of the MENA region, rich in oil and with a great strategic importance in its conflict against China and Russia. Ironically, however, its continuous failures in the war created more trouble for itself, with its economic and political crisis greatly intensified.
US imperialism, the “giant with clay feet,” finds itself in wars it can’t win, surrounded by the just anger of the masses on all directions, both at home and abroad – and as a result, it launches further attacks against the people like a dying beast, attempting to drown out the revolutionary upsurge of the masses preemptively. The criminalization of activism – such as the terror-tagging of Palestine Action and other forms of “far-left” activism – accompanies ICE terror, job and wage cuts, militarization of society, and cultural and ideological offensives against the working class.
Build a Movement to Defense Democratic Rights!
It is the duty of revolutionaries-in-formation and progressives to stand with Palestine Action and other people’s defenders and advocates, as well as rejecting baseless labels and accusation to be used to justify State violence. However, as the economic crisis worsens, the Old State’s criminalization and attack on activist and people’s organizations will only increase. In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had highlighted “far-left terrorism” as the biggest domestic threat and denounced the just struggle of the exploited and oppressed majority as “a revolt of the worst against the best.”
Immediately after, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claimed that “one of the hallmarks of left-wing violence and terrorism is its completely pretextual and disingenuous appeal to civil liberties in an effort to shield its own violence.” As the ruling class advances fascistization, it has begun to openly negate its own regulations and strip down even the pretense of democracy, freedom, justice and the rule of law.
It is now more urgent than ever to develop a unified and class-conscious movement in defense of the people’s democratic rights, both against newer attacks, and for existing political prisoners from the people’s movements of the 1960s and 70s, such as Kamau Sadiki and Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Such a movement must be intimately linked to the struggle of the working class and guided by the correct, class-conscious line. If not, it will fall into the trap of reformism which creates harm for the masses. We recall the NAACP once refused to defend the Scottsboro Boys framed for violating a white woman, as they sought “perfect” victims acceptable to the capitalist status quo. Democratic rights will not be defended through appealing to the class enemy, and it is only through class struggle for the defense of the people that victory will be achieved.
