Palestine Legal Condemns Trump Regime’s “Terrorism” Designation of Palestine Action

On August 26, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Palestine advocacy groups—Palestine Action and Masar Badil—along with an anti-fascist group, Autistici/Inventati, designating them as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organizations.

These designations seek to repress the ability of activists to operate but, importantly, also aim to scare U.S. residents from interacting with—or even speaking about—these organizations, under threat of criminal prosecution. But one thing remains clear: The First Amendment protects the right of activists to independently educate themselves and their communities about these organizations and speak out in support of them.

These designations attempt to use the machinery of sanctions enforcement to intimidate and isolate the growing, worldwide movement for Palestinian freedom. They target and criminalize solidarity and support among activists here in the U.S. and abroad, and are part of continued efforts by the Trump administration to criminalize support for Palestinian rights and broader social justice, anti-authoritarian, and international solidarity activism.

Palestine Action, in particular, has taken disruptive and impactful action against institutions implicated in the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide and has gained growing popular support in the UK and around the world, with thousands of activists from all walks of life braving arrest to stand in solidarity with the organization and its aims. By designating these groups, the Trump regime has taken a dangerous step forward in its authoritarian program.

Last week’s designations are also not an isolated action. The State Department’s and Treasury’s own framing explicitly connects these designations to the administration’s broader targeting of anti-fascist, migrant-justice, and other left organizations.

Lastly, the timing of these sanctions is deliberate: As support for Trump’s extremist policies plummets in the lead-up to the midterm elections; as opposition to Israeli apartheid and support for Palestinian liberation continue to grow; and as global public condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran intensifies, the administration is escalating its efforts to repress the movements driving that opposition.

We reiterate our message from October 2024 , when the Palestine solidarity organization Samidoun was designated and put under sanctions:

At this precarious time and in the face of such blatant targeting of what should be protected speech and association under the First Amendment, we are committed to protecting the movement by foregrounding the collective safety of diverse movement groups. And we are committed to the urgent, morally necessary work towards Palestinian freedom, ending U.S. complicity in this genocide, and challenging the very premises of the antiterrorism regime that has historically made criminals of justice activists, while war criminals act with impunity.

- For information about the legal implications of the designation, see this resource: Primer: Material Support for Terrorism Laws and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions.
- If you or your group needs legal advice or representation, please contact us via our intake form , and we will aim to connect you with trusted attorneys with relevant expertise.
- For background on how the entire U.S. “antiterrorism” regime has grown out of and been shaped by successive efforts to undermine Palestinian freedom, read our joint report with the Center for Constitutional Rights: Anti-Palestinian at the Core: The Origins and Growing Dangers of U.S. Antiterrorism Law.