Footage shared online by the group shows two individuals inside the airbase, with the pair riding scooters toward an RAF Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into the aircraft's engine. The group claimed responsibility for the act, saying, “Activists have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.”
A spokesperson for Palestine Action said, “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets.” The group also said in a post on X that it represented “every individual” who opposes Israel’s military operations in Gaza, saying, “If they want to ban us, they ban us all.”
Palestine Action claimed that its members had put the refueling tankers “out of service,” though RAF engineers later assessed the aircraft, and a defense source told the BBC that operations would not be affected. However, the sabotage of the plane has resulted in criticism of the UK government regarding the ease with which the militants were able to gain entry to a UK military installation and sabotage the aircraft.
“It sends a signal to the Russians, to the Iranians, to the Chinese that Britain’s air bases are not adequately defended,” one Wall Street Journal columnist said.
The BBC also reported that in response to the act, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to proscribe Palestine Action in the coming weeks, which would effectively brand the group as a terrorist organization. The home secretary has the legal authority to prosecute an organization under the Terrorism Act 2000 if the group is believed to be "concerned with terrorism.” Proscription requires legislation and must be approved by MPs and peers.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman backed the decision to ban the group, calling it “absolutely the correct decision.” She added on X, “We must have zero tolerance for terrorism."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the incident as “disgraceful” and described it as an “act of vandalism.”
