The Pro-Palestine group Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, the Home Secretary has announced.
Yvette Cooper has announced plans to proscribe the group after members broke into an RAF base in Oxfordshire and vandalised two planes last week.
Hundreds of Palestine Action activists are gathering in central London for a protest, with at least three arrests made by police.
The Home Secretary said she will lay an order before Parliament next week to make membership and support for the group illegal under the Terrorism Act 2000.
In a written statement, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the vandalism of two planes at RAF Brize Norton as ‘disgraceful’ and said the group had a ‘long history of unacceptable criminal damage’.
She added: ‘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.’
Palestine Action said they broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two RAF Voyager aircraft on June 20.
They claim the planes depart daily to Akrotiri in Cyprus, and ‘from there collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza’.
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Footage shared online showed two people riding up to the planes on electric scooters before using ‘repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers’.
Palestine Action said the red paint symbolised Palestinian blood, and claimed they also used crowbars to cause further damage.
The incident is being investigated by counter terror police.
Responding to the incident, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: ‘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.’
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