Seven activists from the Palestine Action group accused of vandalizing a Scottish golf resort owned by US President Donald Trump have been charged with offenses 'related to terrorism', according to British and American media reports.
According to The Guardian and The New York Times, the seven activists sprayed pro-Gaza slogans and dug up turf at the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire last year. They are charged with vandalism 'related to terrorism' and could face sentences under the terrorism sentencing framework.
A preliminary hearing is expected at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday, August 31.
The incident stems from a protest on March 8, 2025, targeting the resort to oppose Trump's stance on Gaza. Activists from the UK-based group sprayed red paint on the clubhouse, damaged turf and irrigation systems, spread weedkiller on greens, and painted the words 'Gaza is not 4 sale' on the premises.
All seven defendants are charged under ordinary criminal law for property vandalism. However, the 16-page indictment from prosecutors asserts that the actions were 'aggravated by connection to terrorism'.
Palestine Action has been embroiled in a legal battle with the UK government since it was proscribed as a 'terrorist' organization last year.
Co-founder Huda Ammori argued that the charges against those who protested at Turnberry show prosecutors are trying to appease Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'We use direct action to save lives – the opposite of terrorism – by disrupting the flow of weapons used to kill Palestinians,' she said in a statement.
'By targeting the profits of arms companies and daring to spray paint the golf course of a demagogue who has abetted Netanyahu's crimes, we have made powerful enemies. The UK government has chosen to appease them by criminalizing us as 'terrorists',' she added.
Earlier this week, the US imposed sanctions on Palestine Action and the international pro-Palestinian movement Masar Badil, as the Trump administration intensifies a global crackdown on critics of Israel. On Wednesday, the US Treasury also imposed financial sanctions on Autistici Inventati, an Italian organization providing digital services to left-wing groups, including pro-Palestinian organizations.
John McDonnell, a UK Labour MP and former Shadow Chancellor, criticized the potential application of 'terrorism' charges in the indictments.
'The possibility that protesters accused of spraying red paint on Trump's golf course could face terrorism sentences, along with Trump declaring he will follow the UK in proscribing Palestine Action as a 'terrorist' group, is truly a shameful moment for Britain,' he said.
'Andy Burnham inherited this mess from the previous government. This must be a wake-up call to abandon this absurd, authoritarian ban, before Starmer's plan is adopted by repressive governments worldwide to criminalize protest and suppress dissent,' he stressed.
