Palestine Action to be banned after break-in at RAF base
Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action.
The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.
The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police.
The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'.
Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action to be banned after RAF base break in
The Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action after the group vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Palestine Action said two of its activists infiltrated Britain's largest RAF base and sprayed red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft before escaping without being caught. Shocking footage shared by the group this morning shows protesters storming across the RAF runway in Oxfordshire on electric scooters . The bodycam footage then shows them spraying red paint into the turbine engines of the air-to-air refuelling tankers which the RAF say are 'vital for enhancing the operational reach and flexibility of Britain's military air power'. Palestine Action claims to have used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray the paint, while they say they caused further damage with crowbars. The activists said they sprayed red paint across the runway and left a Palestine flag behind before fleeing the base undetected. The incident is also being investigated by counter terror police. The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. It comes just days after Palestine Action activists brazenly filmed themselves breaking in and vandalising the warehouse of a firm that supplies military items to Israel. Brize Norton is the largest RAF base in the country with approximately 5,800 service members, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors. Voyagers, described as a 'petrol station in the sky', can carry up to 109 tonnes of fuel and are used to refuel fighter and compatible heavy aircraft. RAF Brize Norton hold a core fleet of nine voyagers, while five others are available for commercial use but can be recalled for military purposes. The RAF is reportedly planning to send Voyager aircraft to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates. One of the Voyagers, which has a Union Jack on its tail, has previously been used as a VIP aircraft to transport prime ministers and Royal Family members to engagements abroad. But MailOnline understands this was not one of the Voyagers targeted. Palestine Action claimed they damaged the planes at Brize Norton as it is the base 'where flights leave daily for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus' - the base used for military operations in the Middle East. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed last week that fighter jets were being scrambled to RAF Akrotiri amid threats from Iran and its conflict with Israel escalating. Iran and Israel have been firing missiles at each other for more than a week now after Tel Aviv launched an unprecedented attack on Tehran, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, striking 100 targets including nuclear and military sites and killing senior military figures. Sir Keir said in a post on X: 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. 'It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'The security breach at Brize Norton is deeply concerning. 'This is not lawful protest, it is politically-motivated criminality. 'We must stop tolerating terrorist or extremist groups that seek to undermine our society. The full force of the law must come down on those responsible.' A spokesman for Palestine Action said the activists evaded security and claimed they had put the air-to-air refuelling tankers "out of service". In a statement, the spokesperson added: 'Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets. 'Britain isn't just complicit, it's an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East. 'By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.' Campaign Against Antisemitism recently wrote to the Home Secretary, calling for the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000. Gideon Falter, chief executive of the group, said: 'We are pleased that the Home Secretary has listened to our representations over the last week. 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' On Saturday, Palestine Action also targeted Permoid Industries Ltd, in Newton Aycliffe, Durham, which is a warehouse that supplies military items to Israel. According to the group, the incident occurred 'under cover of darkness' and involved the activists destroying equipment, spraying red paint over the floors and walls and smashing glass windows. One activist with a spray can was filmed daubing 'Free Gaza' on the walls, while another walked into another part of the warehouse carrying a fire extinguisher filled with paint. Permoid Industries describes itself as an engineering firm that has supplied the Ministry of Defence for more than 80 years, as well as the automotive sector. Products manufactured by the firm include ammunition containers suitable for belted heavy machine-gun ammunition, and cartridge, mortar, and shell munitions. A No 10 spokesman said: 'A full security review is under way at Brize Norton. 'We are reviewing security across the whole defence estate. 'We treat all breaches of security very seriously, and where there is suspected criminal activity, we will take the necessary steps to investigate and prosecute in line with longstanding principle.' He said the incident had not cost any planned aircraft movements or stopped any operations.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Palestine Action to be banned in UK after break-in at RAF base
The UK Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base, the PA news agency understands. Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. Advertisement The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police. A spokesperson for Palestine Action accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. Advertisement The spokesperson said: 'When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' The UK Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in UK Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group. Advertisement Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Friday's incident at Brize Norton, described by the UK Prime Minister as 'disgraceful', prompted calls for Palestine Action to be banned. The group has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. Advertisement The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe the group, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' CAA chief executive Gideon Falter urged the Home Secretary to proscribe the Houthi rebel group and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: 'This country needs to clamp down on the domestic and foreign terrorists running amok on our soil.' Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Starmer defended protester who sabotaged military aircraft
Sir Keir Starmer defended a protester who sabotaged US bombers when he was a human rights barrister. Details of the case emerged hours after pro- Palestinian activists allegedly damaged military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday morning showed two people inside the air base, with one riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. It has now emerged that the Prime Minister represented a defendant in a similar case in 2003. A group of anti-war protesters had broken into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to sabotage US bombers before they flew to Iraq. Sir Keir argued that while the actions were against the law, they were justified because they were trying to stop the planes from committing war crimes. Josh Richards, who was represented by Sir Keir, was cleared after a jury failed to reach a verdict. The revelation was first made by the Politico email newsletter. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tweeted: 'Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime. 'If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.' Downing Street declined to comment, except to point out the 'cab rank' rule - under which barristers have no choice but to take the next case in the queue. There were six trials into the 'Fairford Five' who broke into the airbase in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq. Two were found guilty of causing criminal damage to American vehicles at the base. Two others were acquitted, while Mr Richards - defended by Sir Keir - was cleared after two juries failed to reach a verdict. On Friday morning, Sir Keir described the 'act of vandalism' by Palestine Action as 'disgraceful'. 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful,' he said. 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. 'It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.'
