Seven protesters who vandalized Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland could face tougher sentences, even though they have not been charged with any terrorism offense.

According to Golfweek, Scottish prosecutors are seeking harsher sentences, saying the alleged crimes were “aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection.” A court hearing set for Monday, August 31, 2026, in Glasgow was postponed. The case will now return to court sometime between October and December.

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. They are accused of being members of Palestine Action, a group banned in Britain and designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. They face criminal damage charges over an incident at Trump’s Ayrshire resort on March 8, 2025.

The damage affected several parts of the Turnberry golf resort. According to the Scottish court indictment, the group dug up parts of the turf, sprayed weedkiller on the fairways and greens, and damaged a sprinkler system, which caused flooding. They also painted slogans such as “Gaza Is Not For Sale” in red paint across the golf course and clubhouse.

Trump reacted on social media after the activists were arrested, calling them “terrorists who attacked the beautiful Turnberry” and saying they had caused serious damage and should “hopefully be treated harshly.”

The Terror Designation Behind the Prosecution’s Push for Harsher Sentences at Turnberry

Palestine Action was founded in 2020 and became active in 2021. The group has mainly targeted sites linked to Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense company. Britain officially banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on July 5, 2025. The U.S. later made a similar designation as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on groups it described as far-left extremists.

There is already a case in which Palestine Action members received tougher sentences because of a terrorism connection. In June, four members were sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison after being convicted over a 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems factory in Britain. The judge in that case ruled that a terrorism connection applied. Human rights groups criticized the sentences as too harsh.

The campaign group Defends Our Juries disputed the terrorism claim. A spokesperson said the protesters were being treated this way because they had “made a mess of” Trump’s golf course in March 2025.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori also rejected the terrorism claim. She said the group used direct-action protests “to save lives” and called it the opposite of terrorism.

The U.K. Supreme Court confirmed last month it will hear an appeal against the ruling that upheld the ban on Palestine Action. More than 3,500 people have been arrested in connection with the group’s activities as of July 2026.

Turnberry, meanwhile, is left dealing with the cleanup. The resort has hosted the Open Championship in the past and remains one of Trump’s flagship properties, but repairing the torn-up turf, greens, and irrigation system reportedly cost tens of thousands of pounds and kept the course closed during peak season. The upcoming hearing and the Supreme Court appeal will settle the legal questions, but for golf clubs connected to political figures, there’s a newer problem: figuring out whether fairways and greens now need the kind of protection stadiums already have.