Decades of continuous mobilisation against Israel’s settler-colonial project in Palestine, and its flagrant violations of international law and Palestinian human rights, have seen growing attacks, with an intensified campaign of stigmatisation and repression since October 2023. This campaign is enforced not only by the Israeli government but also by European governments, parliaments, and civil society institutions.

This campaign of repression, aimed at silencing criticism of Israel and its genocidal policies and practices against the Palestinian people and across the region, this campaign of repression targets individuals, groups and organisations standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle. It also targets NGOs and charities providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

The tactics employed include smears, criminalisation, and arbitrary restrictions on advocacy, activism and humanitarian work. Political, legal, and media pressure are used to portray advocates for Palestinian liberation as a threat to European public safety and internal security. Alongside the USA and Canada, Europe is a battlefield for campaigns aimed at delegitimising discourse about Palestine by means of unfounded allegations.  

In recent years, European countries have employed various methods of repression against Palestine solidarity. The conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism, alongside the use of anti-terrorism legislation, has become a primary means of suppressing groups and individuals standing in solidarity with Palestine. A notable example is the widespread adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism by governments, educational institutions, and other bodies, which has led to increased targeting of Palestinian voices and their allies. These tools, and their escalated use since the start of Israel’s latest genocidal onslaught on Gaza and aggression against Palestinians across Palestine, have had a significant chilling effect on civil society’s  capacity to challenge Israel’s settler-colonial project.

As European governments continue to provide moral, financial and military support to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, they have simultaneously ramped up efforts to silence dissent within their countries, despite majority public opinion having turned against Israel. It is this practice of silencing, and the various tools deployed in its pursuit that we seek to expose through our Monitor Project. 
  
With the help of our partners, the ELSC has identified the most common tactics used to suppress voices advocating for Palestine. These include arrests, demonstration bans, censorship and surveillance, harassment and doxing, suspension and disciplinary action in workplaces or educational institutions, financial repercussions, and threats to immigration or citizenship status.