On Wednesday, August 26th, 2026, the United States imposed sanctions on the British activist group Palestine Action and the pro-Palestine international movement Masar Badil, as part of an intensified crackdown on critics of Israel under President Donald Trump's administration. The US Department of the Treasury also sanctioned Autistici Inventati, an Italy-based group providing digital services to left-wing organizations, including pro-Palestine groups.

Palestine Action, which has been designated a “terrorist” group by the United Kingdom and is engaged in a legal battle with the British government, rejected the US sanctions. Co-founder Huda Ammori linked the US measures to the UK designation and urged UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reverse the ban imposed by his predecessor Keir Starmer.

Ammori told Al Jazeera, “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.” She criticized the UK government for creating a precedent by banning a direct action protest group under terrorism legislation for the first time in British history, warning that it emboldens authoritarian governments worldwide to suppress dissent.

The group stated, “We’ve warned since July 2025 that Keir Starmer’s unprecedented ban on Palestine Action would embolden autocrats and demagogues around the world. Today that warning has proved to be well-founded. Whilst bowing down to the arms industry and Israel lobby, the UK government has encouraged Trump to escalate his domestic crackdown on civil liberties.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, “Far-left extremists, their fronts, and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear. Political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated.”