Seven charged over Trump Turnberry vandalism face 'terrorist connection' allegation

Charges and incident

Seven people have been charged with malicious damage at Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, with prosecutors alleging the offence was "aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection." The charges stem from a protest on 8 March 2025, when activists sprayed red paint across the clubhouse, dug up turf, damaged sprinklers, applied weedkiller to greens, and painted the words "Gaza is not 4 sale" on the property, as reported by multiple outlets.

The indictment, described by several sources, alleges that the defendants "did maliciously dig up turf on the golf course, spray glyphosate or similar substance on the fairways and greens, spray a building and signpost with paint, paint political and offensive slogans on the grass, score a political slogan into the turf, paint political and offensive slogans on a building, walls and pillars, damage a sprinkler system causing flooding, and damage a light."

The seven defendants are Kieran Robson, 35; Uzma Bashir, 56; Ricky Southall, 34; Autumn Taylor Ward, 22; Rebecca Sian Davies, 29; John Moxley, 58; and Dylan Chiaramello, 24, according to one report. They are due to appear in court on 31 August.

Terrorist connection allegation

The prosecution's 16-page indictment asserts that the alleged offence was "aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection," according to Al Jazeera. The Jerusalem Post reported that prosecutors would seek harsher sentences if the accused are found guilty because of this connection. The campaign group Defend Our Juries said the seven could face far longer prison sentences if treated as terrorists, even though they have not been charged with terrorism offences. A spokesperson for the group was quoted as saying, "It's now all too clear why the White House has designated Palestine Action as a global terror organization, alongside al Qaeda."

The accused are associated with Palestine Action, a group that has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation under UK law since last year, as reported by The Guardian and other outlets. The Jerusalem Post noted that the group was proscribed under terrorism laws in Britain in July last year. On Wednesday, the US also designated Palestine Action as a terrorist group, as part of what the Trump administration described as a crackdown on "far-left extremists," according to the Jerusalem Post.

Al Jazeera reported that the US Department of the Treasury imposed financial penalties against Autistici Inventati, an Italian group providing digital services to pro-Palestine groups, on Wednesday. The Treasury also imposed sanctions on the pro-Palestinian group Masar Badil as part of a crackdown on critics of Israel, according to the same report.

Reactions and context

John McDonnell, a Labour MP and former shadow chancellor, criticised the potential "terror" link in the charges, according to Al Jazeera. Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying that the charges made it clear prosecutors were trying to appease Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We used direct action protests to save lives – the opposite of terrorism," she said.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney met with Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, on 13 March last year. A note from that meeting, reported by The Guardian, said it "noted with concern the recent incident at the Trump Turnberry property, condemning the damage caused by vandalism and offered reassurance that the relevant authorities would continue to take the incident seriously."

Turnberry's Ailsa course has hosted the Open championship four times. Tee times for non-residents are listed at up to £1,000 per head, according to The Guardian. Trump bought the resort from a Dubai-based group in 2014 for an undisclosed sum.

In June, four members of Palestine Action received longer jail terms after being found guilty of causing more than £1 million in damage to an Elbit Systems factory, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. Britain's Court of Appeal upheld the government's ban on Palestine Action, saying the group "overtly promoted unlawful violence amounting to terrorism," the same report stated. Ammori is challenging the ban in the UK Supreme Court, according to that article.