Seven activists from the Palestine Action group have been charged with offenses carrying a "terrorist connection" after they vandalized the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, according to reports from The Guardian and The New York Times. The charges stem from a protest on March 8, 2025, during which activists sprayed red paint on the clubhouse, damaged turf and sprinklers, applied weedkiller to greens, and painted "Gaza is not 4 sale" on the property.
The 16-page indictment alleges the acts were "aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection," a designation that could lead to enhanced sentencing under UK law. An initial hearing is set for August 31 at the High Court in Glasgow. The group has been locked in a legal battle with the UK government since it was proscribed as a "terrorist" organization last year.
Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, dismissed the charges as an attempt to appease US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We used direct action protests to save lives – the opposite of terrorism – by disrupting the flow of arms being used to murder Palestinians," she said in a statement. "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 development comes as the US regime intensifies a global crackdown on critics of Israel. This week, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Palestine Action and the Masar Badil movement, as well as on Autistici Inventati, an Italian group providing digital services to left-wing organizations. The moves are seen as part of a broader effort to suppress dissent against Israeli policies.
John McDonnell, a Labour MP and former shadow chancellor, criticized the potential "terror" link, calling it "profoundly embarrassing for Britain." He urged the government to drop the "absurdly authoritarian ban," warning that such measures could be adopted by repressive regimes worldwide to criminalize protest and suppress political dissent. The case has sparked debate over the use of anti-terror laws against peaceful activism.
Source: www.aljazeera.com