US Imposes Financial Sanctions on Palestine Action and Other Left-Wing Activist Groups

The United States has imposed sanctions on the British activist group Palestine Action and the pro-Palestine international movement Masar Badil as the administration of President Donald Trump intensifies a global crackdown on critics of Israel.

The US Department of the Treasury also imposed financial penalties against Autistici Inventati, an Italy-based group that provides digital services to left-wing organisations, including pro-Palestine groups. Palestine Action, which has been locked in a legal battle with the United Kingdom after the British government proscribed it as a “terrorist” group, rejected the US sanctions.

Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori linked the US measures to the UK designation and called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reverse the ban on the group imposed by his predecessor Keir Starmer. “The fact that Trump is now taking inspiration from Britain’s repression of the movement for Palestinian freedom exposes just how dangerous this ban is and should be a wake-up call to anyone who cares about free speech and civil liberties,” Ammori told Al Jazeera in a statement.

The UK civil rights group Defend Our Juries echoed Ammori’s comment, noting that the unprecedented ban on Palestine Action has emboldened autocrats and demagogues worldwide. Meanwhile, the Trump administration framed Wednesday’s sanctions as part of a broader effort against far-left extremist organisations, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowing to cut off their financial lifelines.