The recent case involving the activist group Palestine Action has underscored the challenges governments face in addressing political violence arising from direct action movements. The group’s campaign, which evolved over several years from non-violent protest to coordinated and disruptive attacks, prompted the government to take the exceptional measure of proscription in response to systematic criminal activity.

A former independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney, has urged authorities not to delay similar action against other groups adopting comparable tactics, notably the militant transgender activist collective Bash Back. He cautioned that political violence often begins not with physical assault but with an environment in which intimidation becomes normalized, opponents are dehumanized, and extreme measures are increasingly justified among supporters.

Bash Back, he noted, has openly embraced tactics akin to those used by Palestine Action, which the Court of Appeal upheld in June as covert and deliberately planned to evade detection. The group’s publicly available guide advises activists to form autonomous local cells, identify targets, and persistently attack until goals are met, accepting that their tactics are “rarely legal.” It also provides practical advice on carrying out such actions and avoiding capture.

The group has claimed responsibility for various acts of vandalism and intimidation. Notably, it targeted the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Vauxhall headquarters, forcing its closure, and defaced the constituency office of MP Wes Streeting with the words “child killer.” Moreover, concerns have been raised over threats facing Sarah Pochin, MP for Runcorn & Helsby, with Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf highlighting Bash Back as a significant current threat to her safety.

The serious nature of these actions came into sharp relief following a recent court hearing in which it was reported that former MP Ann Widdecombe was struck multiple times on the head with a hammer. The same office where the attack occurred was highlighted in Bash Back’s guide as a suitable target. While legal proceedings remain active, the authorities and critics argue that the group’s conduct points to an escalation from protest into organised intimidation and coercion.

The situation recalls the trajectory of Palestine Action, whose campaign eventually led to injuries—including a fractured spine sustained by a police officer during an Elbit Systems raid—and a jail sentence of over seven years for grievous bodily harm. It took five years before the government proscribed Palestine Action, concluding their activities went beyond legitimate protest.

Lord Walney’s warning draws attention to the potential consequences of delayed intervention. He stresses that the government must apply the same threshold for proscription to Bash Back, to prevent a repetition of past delays that allowed campaigns to escalate. As the country continues to reckon with political violence, the call grows for authorities to act decisively before similar situations spiral further out of control.