Man remanded in custody over Palestine Action RAF break-in
Mr Khalid appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court wearing a black hoodie and grey tracksuit. He spoke only to confirm his name and address.Prosecutor Peter Ratliff told the court the alleged offending happened at about 01:40 BST on the morning of 20 June.Two jet engines, one on each Voyager aircraft, had to be replaced following the incident at a cost of £2.5m each, the court heard. Fire extinguishers marked with the words Palestine Action and Palestinian flags were recovered at the scene.The court heard Mr Khalid, of Stockport, was born in Manchester and was a British citizen. He was arrested at an address in Bedford on Friday.He was denied bail and was remanded in custody for his next appearance at the Old Bailey on 22 August.Mr Khalid is the fifth person to be charged in connection with the incident.Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22, were all remanded in custody following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court last month.They will next appear together at the Old Bailey for a plea hearing on January 16, 2026. A provisional trial date is set for 18 January, 2027.
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Telegraph
a few seconds ago
- Telegraph
Labour's Gaza mess is only worsening
Sir Keir Starmer's Government is digging itself into an ever deeper hole over its plan to recognise Palestine as a state. At home, this cowardly gesture has unleashed a hornets' nest; abroad, it has gratified the butchers of Hamas. Supporters of Palestine Action, which was proscribed after its attack on RAF Brize Norton, are calling for mass civil disobedience next Saturday in order to 'overwhelm' the police and courts. One of their leaders is Moazzam Begg, who spent three years as a detainee in Guantanamo Bay. Speaking in Birmingham at the weekend, Mr Begg told what he called 'the resistance' that 'we have a massive presence in this city' and must 'engage our leaders, our imams, our habits, those in positions of power, to join, there is strength in numbers'. In 2010 Mr Begg was paid an undisclosed sum in compensation for his time in Guantanamo, reported at the time to be £1m or more. In 2014 he was arrested for Syria-related terrorism offences, although charges were subsequently dropped. Will he now once more face the law? Supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation such as Palestine Action is a criminal offence. Meanwhile, those who warned against rewarding Hamas for rape, massacre and hostage-taking have been vindicated. Last week, Basem Naim, one of the terrorist organisation's leaders, exulted in the UK's support for the Palestinian cause: 'Victory and liberation are closer than we expected.' Hamas is still running Gaza; British recognition of Palestine would hand them a huge propaganda victory. Yesterday, the Prime Minister's spokesman refused to say whether such a state would be recognised if Hamas remains in control of Gaza. Downing Street repeats the mantra that ' Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza '. But it insists that it cannot make recognition conditional on the actions of Hamas, a terrorist group, as the UK does not negotiate with terrorists and such demands would be tantamount to negotiation. Conditions seemingly only apply to democratic states. The legal knots in which this Government has tied itself would be comical if the consequences were not so tragic. Starmer and Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, are both lawyers to their fingertips. Yet they have conjured up a policy that is legally incoherent, morally indefensible and pleases nobody.
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Police warn of mass arrests if Palestine Action protest goes ahead
The controversy over the ban applied to Palestine Action deepened on Monday, with police warning of mass detentions if a demonstration goes ahead this weekend that could see more than 1,000 people carrying placards and posters expressing support for the group. The Metropolitan police made clear it would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest. But in a further challenge to the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, 300 left-leaning Jewish figures including the director Mike Leigh and author Michael Rosen will tell the prime minister in a letter on Tuesday that the ban was 'illegitimate and unethical'. Campaigners from the pressure group Defend Our Juries plan to descend upon Westminster in central London on Saturday carrying placards and posters expressing support for the group. They are protesting against Yvette Cooper's decision to ban the organisation last month after activists caused an estimated £7m of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton. Defend Our Juries is asking those taking part to hold up signs saying 'I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action'. More than 200 people have already been arrested in response to the proscription last month. A Met police spokesperson said the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are attempting to put the overcrowded criminal justice system under further pressure. 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system,' they said. 'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests. Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' Starmer's official spokesperson urged people not to attend. 'Any action that is in support of a proscribed group in the UK, of course we do not support and the court has confirmed their continued proscription status,' they said. 'The home secretary previously said that those who seek to support this group may yet not know the true nature of this organisation, but people should be under no illusion this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group.' Sadiq Khan, who was vocal in urging Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state, declined to weigh in. A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: 'The policing of Saturday's planned protest by Defend Our Juries is an operational decision for the Metropolitan police.' On Tuesday, a delegation organised by Jewish Voice for Labour will deliver a letter signed by 300 Jewish figures to No 10 and Cooper urging a lifting of the ban on the group. Also signed by the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Bindman KC and the playwright Gillian Slovo, it will express 'horror' at the actions of Israel. The letter will say: 'We consider the proscription of Palestine Action to be illegitimate and unethical. It is time to end the government's hand-wringing over the level of slaughter and suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, mixed with tacit support to the Israeli state. The Met is sceptical of claims that thousands of people could turn up on Saturday. The force believes that a total in the low hundreds is more likely. Anyone arrested risks a terrorism conviction. At other events that led to mass arrests, the Met has arrested people, confirmed their identities and home addresses, and then quickly released them on bail so they could be dealt with later. Police resources will be stretched at the weekend as a large, separate pro-Palestinian march is also scheduled for Saturday and anti-immigration protests are expected. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries denied any plot to overwhelm the police and the courts system, as reported in the Telegraph on Monday. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The campaign was not organised by Palestine Action, the spokesperson said, adding that a briefing document was available openly on the Defend Our Juries website. 'It's great the Telegraph is helping us to spread the word but there are serious inaccuracies in their story. We are not the ones planning to 'overwhelm' the system,' they said. 'If the Met exercises common sense and discretion and upholds its obligation to uphold the right of people to exercise their rights then nothing is being overwhelmed. 'It is a difficult position for Sir Mark Rowley [the Metropolitan police commissioner] to be in. Based on what has happened on previous occasions it would be surprising if no one is arrested but on the other [hand] everyone is going to be doing the same thing and it will be a challenge to arrest more than 500 people given that we think there are about 520 available police cells in London at any one time.' They believed Rowley would be factoring in last week's high court ruling giving permission to the co-founder of Palestine Action to bring a legal challenge to the home secretary's decision to ban the group. Other forces exercised discretion not to arrest people at similar protests in Derry, Edinburgh and elsewhere, they added. The protests would take place regularly in future, they said, adding that it was becoming 'a badge of honour' to be arrested. Defend Our Juries has held discussions with MPs about taking part but there was a reluctance on the basis of concerns it could lead to suspension from parliament. About 40 pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the Labour party headquarters on Monday evening. Campaigners held Palestine flags and chanted 'Shame on Keir Starmer, shame on the Labour party, shame on David Lammy' while banging steel pot lids outside the office in Southwark, London. One sign displayed by the group read 'We support the legal application to de-proscribe Palestine Action. Fight racism. Fight imperialism.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'The criminal justice system will always be ready to deal with sudden surges coming through the courts.' The Home Office did not respond to questions about the planned protest.
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
How are police likely to respond to the rally against Palestine Action ban?
Protesters calling for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted are planning to stage a demonstration in London on Saturday that could result in hundreds being arrested. The mass action is in support of a campaign to overturn the proscription of the group, which was banned under terrorism laws on 5 July. Organisers are asking participants to hold up placards saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' The Metropolitan police has warned that anyone showing support for Palestine Action will be arrested. The organisers are a group called Defend Our Juries, a group set up in March 2023 to campaign on behalf of a woman who stood outside a climate activist trial holding a placard about jury rights. Trudi Warner was arrested after holding a sign saying: 'Jurors, you have an absolute right to acquit according to your conscience.' The group has also been involved in supporting Just Stop Oil activists, drawing attention to what it describes as a 'constitutional crisis' in courts as climate activists say new restrictions prevent them explaining their motivations to juries in England and Wales. Among those involved in Defend Our Juries is Tim Crosland, a former government lawyer who held senior roles at organisations including the National Crime Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, where he was a deputy director. He was disbarred in 2023 after he was fined £5,000 for criminal contempt of court in 2021 after deliberately making public a supreme court ruling related to Heathrow airport before the result was officially announced. Participants are being encouraged to hold aloft placards saying 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine' at a location in central London at 1pm for an hour, or until arrested. Organisers say it will only go ahead if at least 500 people are committed to it. Defend our Juries says well over that number have signed up to doing so but a decision about proceeding will be made on Tuesday. A location is yet to be announced but it will be in the Westminster area. As of Monday evening, as many as 1,000 people had signed up to take part in the action, according to Defend Our Juries. The group says that similar actions last month have 'changed the meaning' of an arrest under the Terrorism Act and that it has come to be regarded as a 'badge of honour' by those involved in the campaign to overturn the ban on Palestine action. Since the proscription of Palestine Action, Police have made arrests at previous events where protesters have held up banners saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine.' The Metropolitan police said on Monday: 'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription. Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.' Tactical options include carrying out pre-emptive arrests, placing roadblocks or imposing conditions. Police have significant leeway but run a risk that the courts could strike them down at a later stage. Other options available to the police include applying for a section 14 order, under the Public Order Act 1986, which allows the police to impose conditions on public assemblies. Such an order was used recently in relation to protest activity outside a hotel in Epping, Essex where asylum seekers were being housed. Police forces can apply for a protest to be banned, a rarely used option, if they believe the risk of serious public disorder cannot be managed by imposing conditions on a protest. Any ban must be approved by the home secretary. The action is due to take place an hour after the start of a march in central London which the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others are organising to draw attention to the plight of starving Gazans. Coincidentally, a range of protests against the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is expected to take place this weekend in London and elsewhere, with significant far-right involvement, along with counter-protests by anti-racism activists and trade unionists. The Metropolitan police said on Monday that it was aware that Save Our Juries was encouraging people to turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system. 'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality,' said the force. Nevertheless, Britain's largest force may have to consider whether it needs aid from other forces. Save Our Juries says it believes that the arrests of 500 people could put serious strain on the number of available places for detaining those in custody in London.
