From Italy to Canada, how the UK’s Palestine Action group went global

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the UK-based Palestine Action movement has inspired a network of like-minded groups and direct-action campaigns across Europe and North America, even after the British government banned the organisation in July 2025 as a terrorist group. The article says offshoots using the Palestine Action name now exist in countries including Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, France and Canada, while other groups have adopted similar tactics without the name.

The piece traces this expansion to actions such as a November 2023 protest at Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory in the UK, which was followed by a spray-painting of Leonardo’s Rome headquarters that month by activists in Italy. Al Jazeera says Palestine Action Italy has since grown a large online following and staged occupations of facilities linked to weapons production. It also describes a recent action in Canada in which activists said they raided and sprayed an Elbit subsidiary.

Al Jazeera also highlights related protests in France and Italy aimed at companies and logistics connected to Israel’s military supply chain. In France, activists blocked access to Safran Data Systems, while in Italy activists tried to intercept a cargo ship they said was carrying military goods. Supporters interviewed by the outlet described direct action as a way to disrupt weapons manufacturers and pressure firms they see as linked to the war in Gaza.

The report notes that the UK crackdown has continued, with thousands arrested in connection with Palestine Action-related protests, and that the group is due back in court to challenge the ban.