In the UK, you can be sentenced for up to 14 years for committing journalism, by reporting true facts, if those facts could cause anyone else to be “encouraged to support” an organization that has been banned as a terrorist group. This comes under the provisions of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, which itself builds on the Terrorism Act 2000.
In 2025, the political activism group “Palestine Action” was proscribed, following protests that involved splashing paint on military aircraft. The UK government claimed that the group was backed by Iran (without providing proof) and that its actual goal was not just violence against property, but against people.
Since then, even holding a sign that says “I support Palestine Action” or “Palestine Action should not be banned” is enough to get you arrested, and potentially sentenced to prison for years.
The intended result is to shut down journalism and activism regarding Israel’s crimes in Gaza, and to chill discussion more broadly.
Two U.S. states, Texas and Florida, have declared the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to be a terrorist organization. But CAIR is essentially a civil rights group, not a training camp for suicide bombers.
Were the U.S. federal government to take actions like those in Texas and Florida, the U.S. would be one step closer to the Orwellian censorship in Europe to which administration officials frequently object.
