UN rights office condemns US designation of Palestine Action as terrorist group

The U.N. human rights office said on Thursday the Trump administration's designation of the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organization was "a

disproportionate and unnecessary restriction" on free speech rights that amounted to an expansive use of the term terrorism and will have a chilling effect.



Washington designated Palestine Action on Wednesday as a terrorist group, saying the step was part of President Donald Trump's effort to crack down on left-wing groups in its counter-terrorism efforts. Israel's foreign ministry welcomed the designation.



The designation "appears to be both a disproportionate and unnecessary restriction on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as well as the right to participate in public affairs," the office of United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said.



"Expansive use of the term 'terrorism' has been documented to have a chilling effect on civic space."