Seven Palestine Action Activists Face Terror Charges Over Trump Golf Resort Protest
Key Points
- Seven Palestine Action activists were charged with malicious damage with terrorist connection over a March 8, 2025 protest at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, Scotland.
- Activists spray-painted messages including 'Gaza is not 4 sale,' damaged turf and sprinklers, and applied weedkiller to the greens during the protest.
- An initial High Court hearing in Glasgow is scheduled for Monday, August 31, with prosecution using a 16-page indictment asserting the acts had terrorist connection.
Cofounder Huda Ammori rejected the terror classification, stating: "We used direct action protests to save lives – the opposite of terrorism – by disrupting the flow of arms being used to murder Palestinians." She added: "By hitting the profits of arms companies and by daring to spray paint on the golf course owned by the demagogue who has enabled Netanyahu's crimes, we made powerful enemies. The British government chose to appease them by criminalising us as 'terrorists'."
John McDonnell, a Labour member of British parliament and former shadow chancellor of the exchequer, criticised the potential terror link in the charges. He said the news that protesters could face terrorist sentencing, coupled with Trump announcing the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group, was "profoundly embarrassing for Britain." McDonnell called for the British government to drop what he termed an "absurdly authoritarian ban," warning that Starmer's blueprint risks being adopted by repressive governments worldwide to criminalise protest and suppress political dissent.
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The escalating legal action marks the first instance where property damage during a pro-Palestine protest has been prosecuted with explicit terrorist aggravation in British courts, establishing a precedent for how future activism charges may be framed. The coordination between the US Treasury sanctions and the terrorism charges suggests alignment between the Trump administration and British prosecutors in their approach to Palestine Action's activities.
What Happens Next
The August 31 hearing will likely determine whether the terrorism enhancement charges proceed to trial. Palestine Action may challenge the proscription through court appeals while facing intensified financial isolation from US sanctions. The outcome could influence how British and international authorities prosecute future property-damage-based protest cases.
Sources: Al Jazeera and other international news outlets.
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