US imposes sanctions on Palestine Action UK and Italian digital rights group
On 26 August 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on three groups as “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)”, a sanctions enforcement tool that was introduced following the 9/11 attacks. The move allows the US to freeze the assets of foreign individuals and entities. According to human rights groups, the SDGT has been systematically weaponised against minority rights and Muslim organisations. The groups targeted are Autistici/Inventati (A/I), an Italy-based group, Palestine Action UK, and the transnational organisation Masar Badil. The action was taken as part of the US Counterterrorism strategy which identifies “violent far left terrorist networks as one of the three major terrorist threats facing the United States today”.
Autistici/Inventati (A/I) has been working for the last 25 years to provide digital support to activists, grassroot collectives, and movements, with a commitment to anti-fascism, anti-racism, anti-sexism, and anti-militarism. US authorities accuse the organisation of providing financial, material, or technological support to terrorism and already sanctioned organisations. Since its inclusion on the OFAC list, it reports having faced significant consequences. Two days after the announcement was made, the domain autistici.org was found to be unreachable. Additionally, Italian bank, Banca Etica, communicated its intention to temporarily suspend its banking relationship, pending further investigation. In a statement, the bank said that maintaining relationships with an OFAC-listed entity could be subject to “secondary sanctions.” At the same time, it condemned the use of OFAC lists for political purposes and called on national and EU institutions to take actions to combat the abuse of such instruments. PayPal also immediately blocked its account. The group has denied the accusations. On 6 September A/I announced its short-term closure and suspension of all services.
Protests were staged in Rome and Florence on 25 September to express opposition against the US sanctions.
Palestine Action became the first direct action group to be proscribed under the UK’s Terrorism Act in July 2025. The ban is being challenged at the UK Supreme Court, with the case set to be heard in November 2026. Reacting to the US sanctions, the co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, stated that the US authorities have taken inspiration from the British government which has “created a blueprint for authoritarian governments around the world to suppress political dissent.”