Palestine Action Proscribed as Terrorist Organisation Following RAF Base Incident
The UK government has formally banned the activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation, a decision now facing legal challenge in the High Court. The proscription came after several members were accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and spray-painting military aircraft.
Legal Challenge Against Home Office Decision
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over former home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The Court of Appeal has allowed the group to challenge the proscription, dismissing an earlier appeal from the government.
Ms Cooper stated that the ban followed "a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action," specifically referencing the June incident at the RAF base. The proscription makes membership in or support for the group illegal, with potential prison sentences of up to 14 years.
Barristers representing Ms Ammori argued in court that banning Palestine Action was unlawful, noting it represents the first time a "direct-action civil disobedience organisation that does not advocate for violence" has been proscribed as a terrorist group. Since the ban, over 2,500 people have been arrested on suspicion of publicly supporting the organisation.
Court of Appeal's Position on Legal Process
Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr clarified in a summary that "an application to deproscribe, with right of appeal to POAC (the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission) was not intended to be a means of challenging the initial decision." She added that judicial review would provide a quicker method to challenge the proscription order than applying for deproscription.
History of Direct Action Campaigns
Formed in July 2020 after activists broke into and spray-painted Elbit Systems' UK headquarters in London, Palestine Action has conducted numerous protests against arms manufacturers operating in Britain and selling weapons to Israel. Elbit Systems, Israel's largest weapons manufacturer, has remained the primary target of these actions.
The group has multiple UK subsidiaries operating across 16 sites with 680 employees, including a manufacturing and development facility in Bristol opened in 2023. Palestine Action has targeted Elbit-owned sites in various locations including Leicester, Bristol, Oldham, and Tamworth through occupations and protests.
Recent Incidents and Criminal Charges
In April 2024, the group targeted Somerset County Hall with red paint in response to the local authority leasing a building to Elbit near Bristol. The same site was targeted again in March 2025 when four members used a cherry picker to damage the building, with one activist using a sledgehammer on a rope to smash windows while others spray-painted the structure.
The June 2025 incident at RAF Brize Norton involved four activists allegedly using repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into aircraft turbine engines and causing additional damage with crowbars. Counter Terrorism Policing South East charged the individuals with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to UK safety and conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the RAF base incident, describing it as a protest against UK support for Israel's military actions in Gaza. The group's activities over the past five years have focused on disrupting operations of companies they believe are complicit in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
