The UK Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is poised to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively designating it a terrorist organization, according to BBC sources.
A written statement will be presented to Parliament on Monday. If approved, membership in Palestine Action will become illegal.
This decision follows a security review initiated at UK military bases after pro-Palestinian activists infiltrated RAF Brize Norton and vandalized two military aircraft with red paint.
A Palestine Action spokesperson stated: “When our government fails to uphold its moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.”
A subsequent X post asserted the group represented all those opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza, adding: “If they want to ban us, they ban us all.”
Under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary can proscribe organizations deemed “concerned with terrorism.”
Implementing this requires new legislation, subject to parliamentary debate and approval.
Currently, 81 groups are proscribed under the Terrorism Act.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman deemed the ban “absolutely the correct decision,” emphasizing zero tolerance for terrorism on X.
Conversely, Amnesty International UK expressed deep concern over using counter-terrorism powers against protest groups, stating on X that such powers shouldn’t be used to ban or aggravate charges against Palestine Action activists.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the RAF Brize Norton incident as “disgraceful.”
The incident prompted calls for a ban from several MPs, including Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.
Southeast counter-terrorism police, alongside Thames Valley Police and the Ministry of Defence, are investigating the incident.
Police confirmed the early Friday morning incident and stated that inquiries are ongoing.
Palestine Action’s online footage showed individuals at the airbase, spraying an Airbus Voyager’s engine. A spokesperson stated: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets.”
Greg Bagwell, a former RAF deputy commander and Rusi fellow, clarified to the BBC that the targeted aircraft are primarily used for passenger and fuel transport, lacking the connectors for refuelling Israeli or US jets, contradicting the group’s claims. However, he acknowledged the activists’ success in generating impact.
Since the Gaza conflict began, Palestine Action has primarily targeted arms companies, claiming responsibility for vandalizing a US military plane in Ireland in May.
RAF Brize Norton is a central hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which has been used for reconnaissance flights over Gaza.
James Furlong, David Wails and Joe Ritchie-Bennett were killed in Forbury Gardens on 20 June 2020.
“We as a society owe these women a debt,” the report also says.
Baroness Casey carried out a national audit into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs.
The Home Office closed Campsfield House, in Kidlington, in 2018 but it will be reopened.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was the last to agree a deal with Reeves on Monday afternoon.