The UK government is being very inconsistent when it comes to terrorism and public safety. Small and peaceful protest groups can be treated like dangerous criminals, while foreign military groups that have done serious harm are not labelled as terrorists. This shows a lack of clear thinking and poor decision-making. Labour’s government has already made at least 13 major U-turns, showing they often act without thinking things through.
Take Palestine Action a direct action network whose primary objective is to end global and UK-based participation in what it describes as Israel’s “genocidal and apartheid regime” The government has proscribed them a terrorist organisation under the law. In England and Wales, members (who protest silently holding banners saying they support the organisation) risk long prison sentences and a permanent criminal record. Civil disobedience is being treated as terrorism. It is now a criminal offense in the UK to be a member of the group, invite support for it, or display items that suggest support. Over 2,400 people were reportedly arrested by late 2025 for expressing support or holding signs associated with the group.
Now compare that to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s military. The IRGC has plotted attacks, spied on people, and intimidated Iranian dissidents—even in the UK. Yet the UK has not labelled it a terrorist group. The government says it cannot, because the IRGC is officially part of a foreign country’s military. Still, the IRGC has a record of dangerous activity that is being overlooked.
Even within the UK, the rules are inconsistent. In Scotland, prosecutors have offered £100 fines to some Palestine Action members so they can avoid criminal records. That is very different from the tough approach in England and Wales. The same organisation is treated very differently depending on where you are.
This shows a government that is confused and indecisive. Labour makes poor decisions and then often has to reverse them. They struggle to plan ahead and deal with consequences. People see a system that punishes minor protestors but does very little about foreign groups that cause real harm.
In the end, this inconsistency damages public trust. The rules are confusing, enforcement is uneven, and the government looks weak. Without clear thinking and consistent action, both ordinary citizens and national security suffer.
More about the Scottish treatment of Palestine Action members
It seems to me that the Scottish prosecutors don’t agree that members of the organisation Palestine Action should be charged and tried as terrorists which I must say is common sense because that is exactly what I would do. It points to a failure of this Labour government to really think through what they are doing before they enact legislation. They don’t work out the consequences. In Scotland it seems that the prosecutors are eager to keep what they see as minor misdemeanours out of the courts. Yes, these are the so-called terrorists who aren’t terrorists at all being members of Palestine Action.
This apparently soft treatment of these people, it is understood, has taken place since last summer and applies to several campaigners arrested at that time. And yet, as mentioned, the IRGC would appear to be genuine terrorist group.
I was listening to an Iranian living in UK on the radio this morning and he desperately wanted this government to proscribe this organisation as a terrorist organisation.
The PA organisation protests are all about freedom of speech actually. The current Labour government is quite autocratic on some issues and quite enthusiastically curb freedom of speech in terms of protests and what is written on social media.
