UK watchdog warns towards overreach in focusing on activist teams below ‘counterterrorism’ legal guidelines.
Printed On 29 Apr 2026
The British authorities dangers stretching “counterterrorism” legal guidelines past their unique goal through the use of such powers towards activist teams, a United Kingdom “terrorism” watchdog has mentioned.
In his annual report inspecting using Britain’s “terrorism” laws throughout 2024, unbiased reviewer Jonathan Corridor mentioned the following banning of pro-Palestine group Palestine Action had uncovered “actual uncertainty” over whether or not severe harm to property alone ought to qualify as “terrorism”.
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The legislation’s broad wording may with out clearer limits threat pulling protest exercise into “terrorism” policing, even the place there isn’t a intent to hurt individuals, Corridor mentioned.
“There is no such thing as a authorized authority on what ‘severe harm to property’ means,” Corridor wrote, saying the definition may prolong past violent assaults to acts resembling prison harm, relying on how courts interpret the edge.
Whereas he mentioned it was unthinkable to take away property harm completely from the authorized definition of “terrorism”, he urged lawmakers may slender the check, for instance, by requiring a threat to life, a nationwide safety dimension or exclusion for non-violent protest.
His report comes as the federal government appeals a Excessive Courtroom ruling that discovered the banning of Palestine Motion illegal on the grounds of free speech.
The ban, imposed in July 2025, stays in power pending the result of the attraction. United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on the time that utilizing ”counterterrorism” laws to implement the ban on Palestine Motion risked “hindering the reliable train of basic freedoms throughout the UK”.
Palestine Motion, based in 2020, says its purpose is to finish “world participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”, focusing primarily on weapons factories, significantly these owned by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Techniques.
Because the ban on the group was launched, there have been about 3,000 arrests, largely for displaying placards in assist of the group, and lots of of individuals now face costs.
Corridor’s report additionally highlighted rising reliance on “counterterrorism” legal guidelines to police on-line propaganda and political expression.
The unbiased reviewer additionally appeared on the 2024 banning of group Hizb ut-Tahrir and the far-right on-line Terrorgram community, describing each as instances the place organisations have been banned primarily for on-line rhetoric reasonably than operational violence.
Inside Minister Shabana Mahmood mentioned in an announcement that she would evaluation Corridor’s suggestions earlier than responding.
