The far-right Trump administration has placed sanctions on Palestine Action. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent branded the group “far-left extremists” and promised to bring to bear the “full weight” of economic sanctions. Trump and his allies have made clear they want to criminalise left-wing groups at home and abroad.
Bessent posted on X:
Far-left extremists, their fronts, and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear.
Political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated. https://t.co/9qRRLriBzS
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) August 26, 2026
Palestine Action founder Huda Ammori condemned the move:
Palestine Action’s activities in the US and elsewhere have always been about saving lives by disrupting the Israeli war machine, which is committing a genocide in Gaza with the support of the US government. Trump has been at the centre of the mass murder of Palestinians, enabling the Zionist regime at every turn.
She said that Trump’s echoing of the UK ban on PA exposed how dangerous this form of proscription was, calling it:
a wake-up call to anyone who cares about free speech and civil liberties.
Ammori blamed former PM Keir Starmer for creating:
a blueprint for authoritarian governments around the world to suppress political dissent, and to criminalise British citizens who travel or live abroad.
She added:
Trump’s decision to adopt Keir Starmer’s designation of Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist’ group should be the final nail in the coffin of this dangerous, draconian and disproportionate ban.
Trump’s left-wing terror fantasy
The original UK ban led to wide condemnation, including by the UN. But condemnation has not slowed the current authoritarian turn in western democracies.
Since returning to power, the Trump administration has been pushing for new methods — and narratives for credulous Americans — to justify attacks on those who oppose it. The Canary reported on Trump’s recent ‘left wing’ terrorism conference on 17 July:
The farcical event was meant to highlight what Rubio says is a rising leftist threat, largely ignored on ideological grounds.
In reality, it can be read as an attempt to found and codify a US-led fascist international — a new Axis steered by the Trump regime.
The conference saw US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau cite a number of long-dead left-wing terror groups to justify sanctions. This included:
the Red Brigades and the Baader-Meinhof Group in Europe, to the Weather Underground here in the United States.
Okay, then…
Palestine Action seems to have been high up the US’s hit list. Other groups will likely follow. And the precedent will be tested again and again in a bid to compress the scope for free speech and democracy, to chill human rights activism and to empower private and elite interests.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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