UK terror ban undermined as Palestine Action manual stays on the web

Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Taylor, the national head of Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that major technology firms are “not even close to doing enough” in terms of addressing extremist content online.

Speaking to LBC’s crime correspondent Andy Hughes, Taylor expressed his desire to apply “huge pressure on the executives” of tech companies to take more decisive action.

He further stated that tech companies “definitely” have a responsibility regarding what is hosted and promoted on their platforms, including the influence of algorithms in magnifying harmful content.

However, Jonathan Hall KC, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, commented that the issue is more profound, highlighting a lack of enforceable legal powers.

"Ofcom doesn’t have any ‘real actionable’ power to remove this content. There is no red button under the Online Safety Act for this,” he said.

Hall explained that while regulators like Ofcom can assess whether platforms are doing enough to reduce terrorist material, and can order the removal of content that violates rules, they lack the ability to take it down themselves.

Instead, enforcement relies on whether companies comply voluntarily or face broader penalties.

“Simply put, there is a legislative gap — no power exists to remove this content,” he said, noting that existing provisions under Section Three of the Terrorism Act 2006, which allow police to request takedowns, have never been used.

He described the current system as a “request-based relationship,” where the Government asks platforms to remove content presumed to breach their terms, rather than issuing binding orders.

Even the most severe enforcement measure under the Online Safety Act 2023 — a court-ordered business disruption step that could block access to non-compliant platforms — has yet to be tested and is far from immediate.

Jurisdiction further complicates matters. The site hosting the manual is self-hosted on WordPress infrastructure and, according to Ofcom, "falls outside" of its Online Safety Act remit, which applies only to user-generated services, search engines, and commercial pornography sites.

The failure is even more pronounced when compared to the stricter regime in the EU, where Regulation 784, effective since June 2022, mandates platforms to remove terrorist content within one hour of receiving a formal removal order.

In the UK, conversely, the Home Office has largely shifted responsibility onto tech firms. The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) evaluates material and refers it to platforms for what it describes as “voluntary action.”

Yet, critics argue this leaves too much discretion to companies, especially when platforms have commercial motives to keep users engaged.

Hall also warned that Ofcom has limited staff and prioritizes what it considers the worst offenses, including 4chan and suicide forums.

The manual urges direct action against UK sites linked to Israel, including Ministry of Defense locations, encouraging activists to “escalate” their activities.

One section advises campaigners to “think big,” while another describes breaking into targets and using sledgehammers to inflict property damage as “a very effective tactic.”

Palestine Action activists were responsible for a significant incident on June 20, 2025, when they infiltrated RAF Brize Norton and vandalized two RAF aircraft.

Jewish community groups have stated that the continued availability of the manual is deeply concerning, with The Antisemitism Policy Trust asserting that such material “should not be freely available online” and warning it could foster extremism and antisemitism.

We are at Downing Street for the Jewish community rally against antisemitism.

Britain: face down the extremists! pic.twitter.com/iZwnWieL4x

— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) May 10, 2026

The Campaign Against Antisemitism also described it as “astonishing” that a proscribed organization could still host, within the UK, a manual explaining how to commit criminal acts and avoid detection.

A representative from the charity told LBC: “It is truly extraordinary that a proscribed terrorist organization is able to maintain a website and manual, available in the UK, that guides would-be radicals on how to conduct criminal activity, what to target, and how to evade detection.

“These websites may be hosted overseas, but there are powers available to authorities here to block this material, and they need to exercise them.”

The controversy arises amid growing concerns about antisemitic attacks and extremism in the UK.

Since late March, there has been an increase in antisemitic incidents, including arson attacks on Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, north-west London, a synagogue and a former Jewish charity, as well as a drone flown near the Israeli embassy.

Last month, two Jewish men – 34-year-old Shilome Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila – were stabbed in north London, in an incident that Counter Terror Policing London has formally declared a terror attack.

Somali-born British national Essa Suleiman, 45, was detained and charged with two counts of attempted murder following the attack.

The Metropolitan Police reported that 26 individuals have been arrested in connection with the series of attacks on Jewish sites since late March.

The Antisemitism Policy Trust added that Palestine Action’s usage of “sloppy language and inaccurate terms” risks conflating the Israeli state with Judaism, exacerbating antisemitism.

On its website, the banned group writes: “We are now on the third year of an uninterrupted campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza, led by the Israeli forces.”

"This has been backed by states worldwide, who harbor the weapons factories of the Zionist machine.”

In response, the Trust said: “Zionism, in simple terms, is the movement for self-determination for Jewish people in Israel.

“If any organization wishes to criticize the Israeli Government, it should do so in those terms, not with reference to Zionism, which risks blurring the issue.”