RAF break-in triggers terror law response
Palestine Action has officially been proscribed as a terrorist organisation under UK anti-terror legislation, following a dramatic break-in at RAF Brize Norton that saw military aircraft vandalised.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the move this week, calling the group’s actions “disgraceful” and a direct threat to national security.
The decision, supported across government benches, follows mounting concern over the group’s tactics, which have included forced entry into high-security defence sites, extensive property damage, and a pattern of disruption targeting the UK’s military and defence supply chain.
The order will make it a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action or to support the group – carrying penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
Military site breach the final straw
The move comes weeks after Palestine Action activists infiltrated RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, spray-painting two RAF Voyager aircraft in red. The site is a strategic airbase central to UK military logistics, surveillance and aerial refuelling.
Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard told MPs the act was “not only epically stupid, but it was also a direct attack on our national security.”
He confirmed the aircraft had been damaged by paint, but said there was no lasting impact on planned operations.
But he warned: “A similar incident must never happen again,” and made clear enhanced security measures had been introduced across all UK defence facilities.
Counter-terrorism police are now leading an investigation.
‘Long history’ of escalation
In her announcement, Cooper accused the group of a “long history of criminal damage” and said its activities had intensified in “frequency and severity” since 2024.
She referenced multiple break-ins at UK defence-linked sites, including Thales in Glasgow, where over £1.1 million in damage was caused in 2022 using smoke bombs and pyrotechnics, and further incidents in 2023 at Instro Precision in Kent and the Elbit Systems UK HQ in Bristol.
She emphasised that the proscription order is targeted specifically at Palestine Action and “does not affect lawful protest groups and others campaigning about the Middle East.”
“It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully – including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in UK foreign policy – can continue to do so,” she said.
However, Cooper said, Palestine Action’s coordinated attacks on the defence sector had crossed a legal line.
“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.”
She said the group’s actions – targeting financial firms, government contractors, universities, charities and military suppliers – meet the legal threshold under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Palestine Action responds
In a statement, Palestine Action condemned the government’s move as “unhinged” and said it was preparing legal action.
“The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on war planes, but the war crimes that have been enabled with those planes,” it said, accusing the UK government of complicity in “genocide” in Gaza – a claim Israel strongly denies.
“We are teachers, nurses, students and parents… it is plainly preposterous to rank us with terrorist groups like ISIS, National Action and Boko Haram,” the group added.
The proscription announcement coincided with a large protest by Palestine Action supporters in central London, during which 13 people were arrested following clashes with police.
A matter of security, not symbolism
Government officials and defence analysts argue the decision to proscribe the group is not about political expression but about protecting vital infrastructure.
While Palestine Action has only carried out one successful break-in at a military base, the strategic nature of that site – RAF Brize Norton – was enough to escalate the threat level.
“This is not comparable to chaining yourself to a tree or breaking into a lab,” one expert told West Midlands News.
“When you breach a military facility, damage active RAF aircraft and force a security review, you are no longer protesting – you are undermining the UK’s defence capability.”
Now Parliament has passed the order, Palestine Action will become the first UK-based group focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict to be proscribed under terrorism laws – a sign, ministers say, of the gravity with which they now treat such acts.
