The UK watchdog has warned against overreach in targeting activist groups under ‘anti-terrorism’ laws.
Published on 29 April 2026
The United Kingdom’s “terrorism” watchdog has said that the British government risks stretching “anti-terrorism” laws beyond their original purpose by using such powers against activist groups.
In his annual report examining the use of Britain’s “terrorism” legislation through 2024, independent reviewer Jonathan Hall said that the subsequent ban on the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action had exposed “genuine uncertainty” over whether mere serious damage to property should be classified as “terrorism”.
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The broad wording of the law could risk dragging protest activity into “terrorism” policing without clear boundaries, even where there is no intent to harm people, Hall said.
“There is no legal authority on what ‘serious property damage’ means,” Hall wrote. He said the definition could extend beyond violent assaults to acts such as criminal damage, depending on how courts interpret the threshold.
While he said it is unimaginable to completely remove property damage from the legal definition of “terrorism”, he suggested that lawmakers could limit the test to, for example, risk to life, a national security dimension, or the need for exclusion for non-violent protests.
Their report comes as the government appeals a High Court ruling that found the ban on Palestine action unlawful on freedom of expression grounds.
The ban imposed in July 2025 will remain in force until the outcome of the appeal. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned at the time that using “anti-terrorism” legislation to enforce a ban on Palestine action risked “impeding the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms in the UK”.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, says its goal is to end “global complicity in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”, focusing primarily on weapons factories, particularly those owned by Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.
Since the ban on the group came into force, there have been approximately 3,000 arrests, mostly for displaying placards in support of the group, and hundreds of people are now facing charges.
Hall’s report also highlighted the police’s increasing reliance on “anti-terrorism” laws to police online propaganda and political expression.
The independent reviewer also looked at the 2024 ban on the group Hizb ut-Tahrir and the far-right online Terrorgram network, describing both as cases where the organizations were banned primarily for online rhetoric rather than operational violence.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement that she would review Hall’s recommendations before responding.
