❓WHAT HAPPENED: Britain’s Home Secretary, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, announced plans to proscribe the group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Palestine Action, and its members.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement followed an incident on June 20 at the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.” – Yvette Cooper
🎯IMPACT: Membership and support for Palestine Action will be made illegal under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Britain’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has announced plans to proscribe the far-left extremist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. This decision follows an incident on June 20, where members of the group broke into the Royal Air Force (RAF) base RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to sabotage two RAF Voyager aircraft.
In a written statement, Cooper said, “The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.” She added, “The UK’s defence enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this Government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.”
The Home Secretary plans to lay an order before Parliament next week that will make membership and support for the group illegal under the Terrorism Act of 2000. Cooper emphasized that this decision is specific to Palestine Action and does not affect lawful protest groups or other organizations campaigning on Palestinian-related issues.
BREAKING: Palestine Action break into RAF Brize Norton and damage two military aircrafts.
Flights depart daily from the base to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
From Cyprus, British planes collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/zzmFqGKW8N
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 20, 2025
Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for the incident, stating that they used red paint to symbolize Palestinian blood and caused additional damage with crowbars. The group alleges that the planes are used to “collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets, and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the incident, stating, “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.”
Palestine Action has previously engaged in other acts of sabotage, targeting a defence firm facility in August of last year and smashing it up with sledgehammers. The group also violently attacked security staff on site, as well as two police officers, with their sledgehammers.
Video of heavily armed Palestine Action saboteurs using a (stolen?) prison van to smash their way into the headquarters of a firm supplying the British military and destroy equipment. They later injured two cops with a sledgehammer. Clearly terrorism but no Keir press conference? https://t.co/bQwvq8bN3L pic.twitter.com/0wdwxNUl0r
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) August 7, 2024
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