Home Secretary proscribes Palestine Action after RAF Brize Norton break in
If an order is passed at parliament, it will make membership and support for the protest group illegal
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action and will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal.
In a written ministerial statement, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the vandalism of two planes at RAF Brize Norton by Palestine Action activists was "disgraceful" and the group had a "long history of unacceptable criminal damage".
It's after Palestine Action posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning.
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 investigated by counter-terror police.
Yvette Cooper has now said: "I have decided to proscribe Palestine Action under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. A draft proscription order will be laid in Parliament on Monday 30 June. If passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.
This decision is specific to Palestine Action and does not affect lawful protest groups and other organisations campaigning on issues around Palestine or the Middle East.
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.
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. Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the criminal investigation into this attack. It is important that this process is free from interference and the police are allowed to carry out their important work gathering evidence and working to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government. These include attacks at Thales in Glasgow in 2022; and last year at Instro Precision in Kent and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol.
The seriousness of these attacks includes the extent and nature of damage caused, including to targets affecting UK national security, and the impact on innocent members of the public fleeing for safety and subjected to violence. The extent of damage across these three attacks alone, spreading the length and breadth of the UK, runs into the millions of pounds.
During Palestine Action’s attack against the Thales defence factory in Glasgow in 2022, the group caused over a million pounds of damage including to parts essential to submarines. The Sherif, in passing custodial sentences for the attackers’ violent crimes, spoke of the panic among staff who feared for their safety as pyrotechnics and smoke bombs were thrown in the area where they were evacuating. He further recorded the extent of damage to legitimate business activities which included “matters of nationwide security” and disputed the group’s claims its actions were non-violent. The attacks at Elbit Systems in Bristol and Instro Precision in Kent remain sub judice. To avoid prejudicing future criminal trials the Government will not comment on the specifics of these incidents."
A protest in support of Palestine Action is also due to take place in London today.