UK Accused of Smearing Iran to Justify Palestine Action Ban
A prominent British public relations firm representing Israel's leading arms manufacturer has been accused of orchestrating the creation and dissemination of a fabricated media narrative that falsely connected Palestine Action to Iran. This move appears to be part of a strategic campaign aimed at justifying the potential banning of the activist group.
A report from the British news magazine Private Eye alleges that Georgia Pickering, who leads the London-based PR company CMS Strategic—representing Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems—claimed to have influenced a story in The Times. The article purportedly accused the Islamic Republic of financing a direct-action network.
The report emerged mere days ahead of the UK government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under its “terrorism” legislation this past July.
A fabricated report alleging that the Home Office was investigating Tehran’s purported financial connections to the group was subsequently circulated by *The Daily Mail* and the GB News channel, intensifying suspicions and pressure on the movement.
In response to inquiries by *Private Eye*, the Home Office stated they did not recognize the allegations, thereby distancing themselves from the narrative that had been prominent in the media.
A representative from Palestine Action has labeled the situation as “baseless” and “ridiculous.” Meanwhile, CMS Strategic has openly denied any participation in the article, even as Pickering privately conceded involvement.
Recent disclosures have underscored that the smear campaign did not originate in a vacuum.
Two days prior to the report’s publication, the pro-Israeli organization We Believe in Israel took to social media to assert that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was the covert force orchestrating Palestine Action. The group, however, provided no concrete evidence for their claims, citing only broad similarities in slogans as their basis.
In the period preceding the group’s prohibition, a certain lobbying entity orchestrated a comprehensive campaign advocating for the proscription of Palestine Action. This effort included the issuance of two reports that subsequently influenced the official language used by Yvette Cooper, the then-home secretary, in her formal declaration to ban the movement.
Palestine Action has persistently spearheaded a grassroots campaign against Elbit Systems, focusing on its factories and offices over allegations that the company manufactures weapons utilized by Israel in its military actions against Palestinians. This includes the reported offensive on the Gaza Strip initiated in October 2023.
