Kathmandu— On August 26, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three far-left organizations as terrorist entities, including Palestine Action in Britain, Autistici/Inventati in Italy, and Masar Badil across Europe. This move, part of a broader campaign to label anti-fascist and anti-capitalist groups as terrorist, has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and left-wing activists who argue it is an abuse of power. The State Department and Israel have supported the designations, while the European Union has remained largely silent.

Masar Badil and Palestine Action

Masar Badil, a transnational network that supports Palestinian prisoners, was also listed. The administration claims it is a front for Samidoun and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The designation is seen as a form of political abuse, with the evidence being overlapping personnel and shared fundraising. Palestine Action, which targets companies that arm Israel, was proscribed under the Terrorism Act in the UK. The UK government has arrested three thousand people, many for holding a sign, and the Supreme Court will hear the challenge in November. The UN human rights office called both the British ban and the American designation a disproportionate restriction on expression and association.

The designations will be litigated, with Minnesota defendants facing federal court, Autistici/Inventati trying to keep their servers alive, Palestine Action going to the Supreme Court in London, and Masar Badil continuing its work under new constraints. The only answer, according to critics, is to resist anyway and say that protest is not terrorism.

(With inputs from CounterPunch)

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Originally published on abcnews.com.np.