UK watchdog warns towards overreach in concentrating on activist teams beneath ‘counterterrorism’ legal guidelines.
Printed On 29 Apr 2026
The British authorities dangers stretching “counterterrorism” legal guidelines past their authentic objective by utilizing such powers towards activist teams, a United Kingdom “terrorism” watchdog has mentioned.
In his annual report analyzing using Britain’s “terrorism” laws throughout 2024, unbiased reviewer Jonathan Corridor mentioned the following banning of pro-Palestine group Palestine Motion had uncovered “actual uncertainty” over whether or not critical injury to property alone ought to qualify as “terrorism”.
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The legislation’s broad wording might with out clearer limits threat pulling protest exercise into “terrorism” policing, even the place there is no such thing as a intent to hurt folks, Corridor mentioned.
“There is no such thing as a authorized authority on what ‘critical injury to property’ means,” Corridor wrote, saying the definition might prolong past violent assaults to acts akin to legal injury, relying on how courts interpret the edge.
Whereas he mentioned it was unthinkable to take away property injury fully from the authorized definition of “terrorism”, he urged lawmakers might slender the take a look at, 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 drive pending the end 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 legit train of elementary freedoms throughout the UK”.
Palestine Motion, based in 2020, says its aim is to finish “world participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”, focusing primarily on weapons factories, notably these owned by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Methods.
For the reason that ban on the group was launched, there have been about 3,000 arrests, largely for displaying placards in help of the group, and a whole bunch of individuals now face prices.
Corridor’s report additionally highlighted rising reliance on “counterterrorism” legal guidelines to police on-line propaganda and political expression.
The unbiased reviewer additionally seemed on the 2024 banning of group Hizb ut-Tahrir and the far-right on-line Terrorgram community, describing each as circumstances the place organisations have been banned primarily for on-line rhetoric moderately than operational violence.
Inside Minister Shabana Mahmood mentioned in an announcement that she would assessment Corridor’s suggestions earlier than responding.
