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LONDON: Pro-Palestine online content in the UK could be censored through the twin threat of the Online Safety Act and banning of Palestine Action, human rights groups have warned.

Content in support of Palestinians published online could be misconstrued as supporting Palestine Action, a protest group that was proscribed under anti-terrorism laws on July 5, .

Index on Censorship, Open Rights Group and other organizations have written to Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, to request clarification on the matter.

Signatories to the letter also warned that online content objecting to Palestine Action’s banning could be misidentified as unlawful support for the group.

Open Rights Group’s Sara Chitseko, a pre-crime program manager, told The Guardian: “Crucial public debate about Gaza is being threatened by vague, overly broad laws that could lead to content about Palestine being removed or hidden online.

“There’s also a real danger that people will start self-censoring, worried they might be breaking the law just by sharing or liking posts related to Palestine and nonviolent direct action.

“This is a serious attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest in the UK. We need to ensure that people can share content about Palestine online without being afraid that they will be characterised as supportive of terrorism.”

Major online social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have been advised by Ofcom that they can avoid concerns about meeting the requirements of the Online Safety Act if they are more stringent with censoring content than is mandated by the act.

The letter sent to Ofcom by the rights groups warned: “This approach risks encouraging automated moderation that disproportionately affects political speech, particularly from marginalised communities, including Palestinian voices.”

The UK, unlike the EU, lacks a mechanism through which users can appeal the censoring of their online content.

Signatories to the letter — which was also sent to Meta, Alphabet, X and ByteDance, owners of the world’s top social media platforms — called for the creation of a British dispute mechanism to discourage the censoring of lawful content.

The letter added: “We are concerned that the proscription of Palestine Action may result in an escalation of platforms removing content, using algorithms to hide Palestine solidarity posts and leave individuals and those reporting on events vulnerable to surveillance or even criminalisation for simply sharing or liking content that references nonviolent direct action.

“We are also concerned about what platforms understand by their legal duties regarding expressions of ‘support’ for Palestine Action.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We have provided detailed guidance to platforms about how to identify the particular types of illegal and harmful material prohibited or restricted by the act, including how to determine whether content may have been posted by a proscribed organisation.

“There is no requirement on companies to restrict legal content for adult users. In fact, they must carefully consider how they protect users’ rights to freedom of expression while keeping people safe.”

LONDON: Protesters targeted the headquarters of The New York Times in Manhattan on Thursday, accusing the newspaper of whitewashing Israel’s role in the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, where Tel Aviv is already facing charges of war crimes and genocide.

Videos circulating online showed pro-Palestinian activists defacing the building with the words “NYT lies, Gaza dies” in bold white lettering, alongside red paint smeared over the publication’s logo. A nearby Starbucks logo was also vandalized with red paint.

Activists accused the 173-year-old paper of bowing to pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups and “eliding” the fact that Tel Aviv “engineered the starvation.”

“In the past week, more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza have died of starvation. Six hundred and fifty thousand children have reached the fifth stage of malnutrition, which means those who do not die will likely suffer from permanent organ damage,” read a statement shared anonymously alongside footage of the protest.

“Who is responsible? You’d never know from reading the so-called ‘paper of record,’” it continued.

“It is our responsibility as people who live in this city to hold The New York Times to account. May life and peace return to Gaza, while consequences visit the home of every genocidaire.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the action, though the statement has been widely circulated online by anonymous activists.

Inbox: ‘NEW YORK TIMES IS STARVING GAZA’ protested against for its coverage of Israel’s deliberate forced starvation of Palestinians, as well as its consistently sympathetic framing of Israel’s ongoing apartheid and now genocide of Palestine.

Communique in next:

— Talia Jane (@taliaotg)

The protest came days after the NYT amended a front-page article on the famine in Gaza.

On Thursday, an analysis by The Intercept found that the NYT repeated Israel’s baseless claim that Hamas was stealing aid nearly 24 times before its own sources contradicted that talking point.

The report originally included a photo of severely malnourished Mohammed Zakaria Al-Mutawaq.

But a subsequent correction stated that the child had a pre-existing medical condition that affected his appearance — a revision made following pressure from pro-Israel media watchdogs including Honest Reporting.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reacted to the correction on X, writing: “This is simply unbelievable. After generating a tsunami of hate towards Israel with that terrifying picture, the NYT now quietly admits that the boy has pre-existing conditions.”

The NYT — like other Western media outlets — has come under increasing criticism for coverage perceived as biased in favor of Israel during its ongoing assault on Gaza.

Earlier this week, Gaza health authorities said the death toll had surpassed 60,000 — roughly one in every 36 people — with a third of the dead believed to be children.

A UN-backed monitor confirmed that famine is now “playing out” in real time across the territory.

The controversy comes on the heels of a report by Writers Against the War on Gaza, which accused the NYT of institutional and individual bias in its coverage.

The dossier alleges ties between current staff members and pro-Israel lobbying groups or the Israeli military.