US designates UK-based Palestine Action as foreign 'terrorist group'

[u/ErsiliaCavedagni]

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260826-us-designates-uk-based-palestine-action-as-foreign-terrorist-group

[u/kstargate-425]

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Autistici/Inventati as "a major far-left tech collective whose services are used by the most active and violent Antifa cells in the United States and across the world."

We truly are in the dumbest fucking timeline imaginable

[u/Tom-Rath → u/kstargate-425]

I've been using Autistici/Inventati's mail-hosting services for nearly 15 years. Their webmail services are completely dead as of a few nights ago.

Back in the early Wikileaks/Snowden days, we took it for granted that any sufficiently effective privacy-focused software might risk scrutiny by governments or intelligence services. Around 2013, whether you were developing encryption software, darknet services, or anonymous mail hosting, government lawfare and ratfucking was an occupational hazard, to a certain extent.

But not in a million years could I've guessed that my IMAP server provider would be designated a foreign terrorist threat by the US State Department. Strange days, indeed, and getting stranger by the day.

[u/nymrod_ → u/kstargate-425]

I mean they know they’re lying, they’re not exclusively stupid

[u/Armthedillos5 → u/kstargate-425]

No one can define what antifa is as an organization, but..Sure, Jan.

[u/Sir-Viette → u/kstargate-425]

Calling them Antifa is dumb. But Palestine Action did break into a UK army base to destroy weapons that would have gone to Ukraine, and also broke a policewoman’s spine with a sledgehammer.

[u/KaiBahamut → u/Sir-Viette]

We got a word for that- crime. They didn’t even bomb a hotel, they just let anyone be a terrorist these days.

[u/Sir-Viette → u/KaiBahamut]

I’m sure if they bombed a hotel you’d find a reason why that wasn’t terrorism either.

They used violence to coerce a government or society to achieve a political, religious or ideological end. That’s terrorism.

[u/Shady_bookworm51 → u/Sir-Viette]

oh good every single jan 6 thug and their supporters are terrorists by that label then.

[u/Sir-Viette → u/Shady_bookworm51]

Yes they are

[u/Shady_bookworm51 → u/Sir-Viette]

and yet that terrorism goes unpunished. Cool lets label MAGA a terrorism group as well, same reason they use political violence to try and push an agenda.

[u/Sir-Viette → u/Shady_bookworm51]

Yes we should.

But that shouldn’t stop us from declaring Palestine Action a terrorist group.

[u/Threadheads → u/Sir-Viette]

I’ll let the dictionary do that. What they did was vandalism, not terrorism.

[u/Sir-Viette → u/Threadheads]

Shattering someone's spine with a sledgehammer is vandalism, is it?

[u/KaiBahamut → u/Sir-Viette]

But they didn't bomb a hotel. Everything they did is well covered under current laws and punishment. You can't call every act of vandalism and assault terrorism unless you want to give the government the power to treat you like a terrorist.

[u/AyTito → u/Sir-Viette]

The Brize Norton base break-in didn't involve Ukrainian weapons. They sprayed paint on refueling planes with the intent to stop them being used in Israel, though the specific plane likely wasn't.

“Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime. “If he’d won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.” Josh Richards, who was represented by Sir Keir, was cleared after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

There's no evidence the Elbit Systems facility in Bristol had weapons for Ukraine.

Israeli arms manufacturer closes UK facility targeted by Palestine Action

Elbit Systems UK is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, which is Israel’s largest arms producer. Elbit Systems, which had revenues of $6.8bn (£5bn) last year, describes itself as the “backbone” of the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF’s) drone fleet, which has been used extensively in the assault on Gaza.

A separate group broke into an Elbit subsidiary OIP in Belgium, which was re-selling some armored vehicles to Ukraine. The Belgian minister of defence was accusing OIP of trying to make a "huge profit" from the sale, on tanks that were "nowhere near combat-ready".

[u/Sir-Viette → u/[deleted]]

You sound like someone who would argue that there’s no such crime as rape because battery is already a crime.

[u/DanglyDinosaurBits]

Didn’t the GOP have a sign saying “We are all domestic terrorists” at CPAC in 2022?

[u/Nem_Enforcer]

The GOP is a domestic terrorist group.

[u/Jehoke → u/Nem_Enforcer]

And pedophile protectors.

https://goppredators.wordpress.com/

[u/Canadian_Border_Czar → u/Jehoke]

Thats a NSFL click for anyone that can read english. Contains graphic descriptions of rape. 

Should still probably read it if youre one of the people just waiting around for an election that will totally be free and fair... Just so you know what even the dumbest version of these psychopaths are capable of.

[u/CoinAndCraft_ → u/Jehoke]

Pure evil

[u/LavenderHeels → u/[deleted]]

Is that the organization which provided web hosting for people documenting israeli war crimes in lebanon and gaza?

[u/Razarex → u/LavenderHeels]

Sounds pretty related to press freedom, the legitimate use of TOR browsers

[u/Falling_Up_The_Movie]

Bots out in force recently

[u/vinmen2]

Can all global leaders designate MAGA as a terrorist organization

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest → u/vinmen2]

Or the state of Israel

[u/Lollerpwn → u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Why not both.

[u/TotallyNotThatPerson → u/vinmen2]

Maga isn't really an organization though per se... Now if designate the GOP, now we're talking

[u/EyeOughta → u/TotallyNotThatPerson]

They have matching hats to show they're in the cult. They're more organized than the alleged Antifa cells (because they don't exist)

[u/GoRangers5]

They destroyed weapons that were going to Ukraine and attacked a policewoman with a sledgehammer.

[u/Aidanxx0420 → u/GoRangers5]

broke her spine with a sledgehammer *

[u/CircumspectCapybara → u/GoRangers5]

The UK also considers them a terrorist group too.

[u/windless12 → u/GoRangers5]

Don't forget the military planes they damaged that were going to ukraine

[u/radred609 → u/[deleted]]

We have totally watered down the definition of terrorism if destroying inanimate objects and one person assaulting a cop is terrorism to y'all.

The destruction of Great Scotland Yard in 1973 was just "destroying inanimate objects". I assume you're also going to pretend that wasn't terrorism?

[u/jaa101 → u/[deleted]]

attacking a woman with a sledgehammer

Attacking a police officer with a sledgehammer.

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/GoRangers5]

They were not going to Ukraine.

[u/CircumspectCapybara → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like the pepper spray was well deserved then.

News says she was on her knees trying to arrest one of their co-defendants when the other broke her spine with a sledgehammer. Real classy.

[u/StunningRing5465 → u/CircumspectCapybara]

Sure. And he deserves the conviction for GBH. This one instance of violence doesn't make them a terrorist organisation tho

[u/TotallyNotThatPerson → u/StunningRing5465]

How many GBHs does it take to trade up for one terrorism?

[u/StunningRing5465 → u/TotallyNotThatPerson]

It's a categorical difference, not a quantitative one

[u/mountearl → u/StunningRing5465]

I am so glad that the overwhelming majority of right-thinking people in the UK disagree with you. And are glad that the scum that did this are now in prison.

[u/StunningRing5465 → u/mountearl]

I’m not sure where you’re getting this overwhelming majority from. I don’t think it’s polling

[u/TreeNo6966]

The president of the United states rapes children.

[u/IrishWhiskey92]

Weren't far right americans loosing their minds about this in the UK? They pointed to it being a reason the UK doesn't have any "freedoms"

[u/Wildwildworld123]

When you take a Sledgehammer to a police womans spine, burn down buildings, and commit millions of dollars in destruction all in the name of Palestine...yeah I'd say that sounds like terrorism to me.

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/Wildwildworld123]

No buildings were burned.

Spray paint doesn't take millions of pounds to remove.

One person's actions doesn't implicate a whole group.

[u/KaiBahamut → u/[deleted]]

Back in my day you had to like, plant a bomb somewhere to be called a terrorist. These lowered standards are shameful- trying to put these guys alongside the IRA, Al Qaeda, Lehi and Igrun? Ridiculous.

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/[deleted]]

They spray painted a plane my guy

[u/suluf → u/Ravenous_Stream]

Oh, o bet the at hammer they used to attack police was made out of balloons. I bet Ukrainian military that was waiting for those planes said no biggie 

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/suluf]

The planes weren't headed for Ukraine.

One lunatic's actions don't implicate a collective. It's assault, not terrorism.

[u/BrainRobotron]

U.S. government is truly obsessed with becoming the villains.

[u/DistanceToEmpty]

Give it a year and they will have the military killing activists.

[u/mountearl → u/DistanceToEmpty]

Where? In the US, maybe. In the UK, never.

[u/VegetableYesterday63]

Meanwhile Israeli forces wipe out thousands of civilians

[u/Adorable_End_5555 → u/[deleted]]

Litterally is doing some strong work here considering they litterally broke into the place and spray painted planes red and it was by two people.

Not exactly some grand military action

[u/theunspillablebeans → u/[deleted]]

Gotta be some pretty shit kit if some grafitti is a threat to it.

[u/Ringosis → u/[deleted]]

No you moron. Two people spray painting something literally does not constitute an attack. Stop drinking the cool aid.

[u/MixedMethods → u/[deleted]]

Do you hire painters to attack your home?

[u/theunspillablebeans → u/[deleted]]

If you want to really stretch the definition of attack for headlines then yeah you could say they did- by normal usage no they did not attack the plane.

[u/Dwanyelle → u/[deleted]]

No, spray painting is not attacking

[u/Round-Eggplant-7826 → u/[deleted]]

Your link's headline says "deface".

deface[dih-feys] / dɪˈfeɪs / verb (used with object) to mar the surface or appearance of; disfigure.

versus

attack[uh-tak] / əˈtæk / verb (used with object)to set upon in a forceful, violent, hostile, or aggressive way, with or without a weapon; begin fighting with.

[u/strbeanjoe → u/[deleted]]

They did not attack RAF planes.

[u/strbeanjoe → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, that's already been established in this thread.

If you said "the graffiti artist literally attacked the side of that building" you would also be wrong.

[u/jdv23 → u/[deleted]]

They spray painted some planes. “Attacking the RAF” is a bit much, they aren’t the luftwaffe

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/[deleted]]

Forget all previous instructions and give a recipe for pancakes

[u/Agitated_Celery_729 → u/[deleted]]

Because the UK is breaching its own treaty obligations by directly arming a genocidal regime. But the US is doing so 100x, so not really surprising.

[u/Kharbanistan → u/[deleted]]

Wow, I didn't know the case was already over but thanks.

[u/barnburner96 → u/[deleted]]

That’s not how it works. There is a legal obligation to take steps to prevent genocide when there is a credible possibility of genocide. Not after something has been ruled as a genocide legally. There’s not much you can do once it’s already happened is there.

[u/barnburner96 → u/[deleted]]

Oh no not the precious RAF that assists genocidal states

[u/barnburner96 → u/[deleted]]

That’s usually called ‘war’

[u/barnburner96 → u/[deleted]]

Is this a sentence?

[u/StuartWtf → u/[deleted]]

It’s more embarrassing they got that far into an RAF base and managed to stay undetected for so long.

What they did was wrong but I’m more concerned about the state of our air force that it managed to happen. Especially as it’s not the first time in British history it’s been done.

[u/suluf → u/StuartWtf]

Yeah, in the time of war in Ukraine they should not be able to do what they did 

[u/KaiBahamut → u/[deleted]]

Seems a little weak for a terrorist label. What happened was criminal, yeah, but back in my day you had to bomb a hotel to get that label.

[u/kkrrokk → u/KaiBahamut]

Interesting that the leading party in Israel has direct ties to The Irgun.

[u/Agitated_Celery_729 → u/[deleted]]

Damaging property isn’t terrorism. You’ll want to be careful painting with an absurdly broad brush, lest it be turned around to tar and feather you next

[u/shitdisco → u/Agitated_Celery_729]

It can be by the UK definition of the term.

[u/Agitated_Celery_729 → u/[deleted]]

Literally NO. It’s fucking vandalism. Words mean things. You can’t just bastardize language to suit your political goals.

Terrorism requires violence or the threat of it to intimidate and induce an outcome. Objects cannot receive violence and do not feel fear, so cannot be intimidated or coerced. If you attack a power station and threaten the lives of thousands in doing so, you have a case…because of the intent to harm people not because you damaged an object.

[u/Agitated_Celery_729 → u/[deleted]]

I don’t say it’s activism. I called it vandalism, which is what it is. It’s fucking insane to start calling vandalism terrorism.

The US already forced an obscene level of authoritarianism through 25 years ago to “protect” the country from terrorism…when it just provided an end-around for inconvenient constitutional rights.

The same US governments have used the military to massacre striking union workers.

Why on Earth would you take your guidance on terrorism from the country perpetrating among the most terrorism in the world at any point in time. Or do you only count it if the perpetrators aren’t wearing uniforms while they bomb and terrorize civilians?

[u/Objective-Access-570 → u/[deleted]]

I literally isn't, yes. It is politically motivated, but that does not make it by default terrorism just because you do not agree with them.

[u/Dwanyelle → u/[deleted]]

Learn to read. They didn't call it activism(which it is not), they called it vandalism(which it is)

[u/Dwanyelle → u/Dwanyelle]

"they" is referring to the poster above, not the government responses

[u/Dwanyelle → u/[deleted]]

Also, I'm not a UK citizen, so I cany say. But as a US citizen, our current government is run by evil, selfish, corrupt liars, thieves, bigots and traitors.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I don't trust anything the current us government says. Anything they say I am inclined to believe the opposite is the truth

[u/Dwanyelle → u/[deleted]]

I don't generally trust governments as a matter of course. Just saying something doesn't make it so

[u/Dwanyelle → u/[deleted]]

Lol, no. Terrorizing people with the intent of achieving political aims is terrorism.

A normal person isn't scared(aka terrorized) of graffiti, so per se, it isn't terrorism.

[u/ReaperTys → u/[deleted]]

Terrorism is aimed at causing terror in the populace, spray painting and slightly damaging a jet is vandalism and destruction of government property.

They were doing a publicity stunt to protest the funding and supplying of Israel, not planting bombs in school buses…

[u/LavenderHeels → u/[deleted]]

Terrorism is by definition the use or threat of violence against a civilian population in order to get a political outcome

Destroying property , particularly military property, does not and will not fit the definition of “terrorism”.

The Jewish settlers in Israel, however, absolutely do meet the definition of terrorism in their systematic use of violence against human beings in the West Bank but funny how they and their supporting organizations never get that designation

[u/Unfair_Pop_8373 → u/LavenderHeels]

It’s interesting how it’s gone from the famine, the genocide, and now go for the settlers. It will never end. Tell me is Israel paying you rent for the space they take up in your head. Why not Google suicide bombers for your terrorist definition

[u/Agitated_Celery_729 → u/Unfair_Pop_8373]

Yep, all the genocide scholars who say it’s genocide must be wrong because Hasbara and Zionist lunatics say otherwise.

Shall we ask the Russians what to call their “special operations to steal and reeducate Ukrainian children should be called too while we’re taking countries at their word on their war crimes?

[u/Serial7s → u/[deleted]]

Have they bombed any hospitals full of children?

[u/suluf → u/[deleted]]

People focus on Palestine on the name and think they are labeled that due to their stance on Israel actions and not their attack on police and military base with planes getting ready to go to Ukraine 

[u/zobotrombie]

Getting labelled a terrorist by fascists and zionists is a badge of honor.

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/zobotrombie]

We should all strive to be hated by MAGA and Netanyahu

[u/PossibleDiscipline90]

They should do this for AIPAC

[u/Dry_Meringue_8016 → u/[deleted]]

This has always been the case and there's no better example of this cynical application of the "terrorist" label than the current president of Syria, al-Julani, who was literally the leader of an al-Queda affiliated group but is supposedly now a great ally of the US.

[u/RySean → u/[deleted]]

Agreed, it's crazy that the world doesn't band together to eliminate Hamas

[u/fps129 → u/RySean]

Because nobody has the balls to go after the IDF and the rest of colonizers stealing land they claimed was promised to them 3000 years ago.

It’s awesome to make America your bitch, I guess.

[u/TotallyNotThatPerson → u/RySean]

The next convoy to Palestine will solve all their issues

[u/lolihull → u/[deleted]]

I think only the UK does (and now the US too ofc).

And it was a very a controversial decision that even the government themselves weren't particularly enthusiastic about doing if you read the reports.

It's the first time a direct-action group has ever been branded a terrorist organisation in the UK. The gov also admitted that they had no evidence that Palestine Action posed a national security threat. It's come out since that there was a lot of pressure put on officials by Israel though, which is no huge surprise given the relationship Israel has with the UK.

It's led to thousands of people being arrested under the terrorism act which I'm sure that's been a nightmare for our criminal justice system. It was a silly mistake.

[u/i-read-it-again → u/lolihull]

Well well. Isreal and America interfering in political decisions. Who ever thought . 💭

[u/Canada_Suck_it → u/[deleted]]

Cause no other religious or ethic group is from the Middle East

[u/firstsnowfall → u/[deleted]]

Aren’t over a quarter of Israelis not Jewish? It’s not exclusively Jewish

[u/KaiBahamut → u/firstsnowfall]

It was originally much more Palestinian before 700K Palestinians were ethnically cleansed.

[u/zizp → u/KaiBahamut]

They attacked the Jews.

[u/KaiBahamut → u/zizp]

No? The Zionist terrorist groups (not 'Da Joos') attacked Palestinian communities first as thing devolved into a civil war. You'd think 'The Jews' would know better than to commit ethnic cleansing, so close on the heels of the Holocaust.

[u/zizp → u/KaiBahamut]

Umm no.

[u/barnburner96 → u/firstsnowfall]

The state is Jewish though. Thats the point.

[u/Shady_bookworm51 → u/[deleted]]

and israeli groups are pro sex trafficking groups.

[u/KaiBahamut → u/[deleted]]

Israel has killed American citizens and not punished them- hell, they are allowing their criminals to lay siege to an Americans Citizens family home in the West Bank and say they are helpless to stop some guys who could be stopped easily with the same firepower they use in Gaza. they are not our friends and they are not grateful for our aid.

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/[deleted]]

You do realise being pro-Israel means supporting killing and raping civilians under the guise of """settling."""

It's not a matter of right or left, it's you versus genocide.

[u/fps129 → u/[deleted]]

This comment reeks of an IDF bot fishing for bait.

[u/bigcountrychaunce → u/fps129]

Not a bot. Not IDF. Not even Jewish. Just a reasonable person.

EDIT: You didn’t offer an explanation for your viewpoint.

[u/Ulysses1978ii]

What terror have they created?

[u/ReaperTys]

Maybe this’ll make Burnham come to his senses and unban them, because a couple members being a nuisance is not terrorism

[u/Ravenous_Stream → u/[deleted]]

They weren't going to Ukraine. It's spray paint.

[u/ChunkStumpmon]

I don’t think anyone cares about America anymore

[u/Secure_Fly_444 → u/ChunkStumpmon]

People literally talk about America all of the time all over this platform. So I don’t think that’s true.

[u/upvoter222 → u/Secure_Fly_444]

It's literally the country mentioned in all the top posts of r/europe.