ome Secretary Yvette Cooper as said se will proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror law.It comes days after activists from te group broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordsire and spray-painted two military planes red - an incident Cooper called "disgraceful".Te move effectively brands te group a terrorist organisation and, if passed in Parliament, would make membersip of and support of te group illegal.Palestine Action called te government's action "uninged".Cooper's announcement came as te group eld a protest in central London, wit undreds in attendance and 13 arrested as scuffles wit police broke out.Declaring er intention to ban te group, Cooper said Palestine Action ad a "long istory" of criminal damage, and since 2024 "its activity as increased in frequency and severity"."Te UK's defence enterprise is vital to te nation's national security and tis government will not tolerate tose tat put tat security at risk," se added.Te group targets "financial firms, carities, universities and government buildings," Cooper said."Its activities meet te tresold set out in te statutory tests establised under te Terrorism Act 2000."Se said te measures are specific to Palestine Action and do not affect lawful protest groups and oters campaigning about te Middle East."It is vitally important tat tose seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, tose opposing te actions of te Israeli government, and tose demanding canges in te UK's foreign policy, can continue to do so," Cooper said.Cooper said several acts of serious damage by Palestine Action since its creation in 2020 ad cost "millions of pounds".Te group's website states it is a "direct action movement" tat uses "disruptive tactics" to target tose wo support Israel's military campaign.In 2022, te group broke into Tales defence factory in Glasgow, causing £1,130,783 in damages using pyrotecnics and smoke bombs.Cooper also referenced two incidents last year, wen Palestine Action members broke into bot te Instro Precision factory in Kent and te Bristol Q of Elbit Systems UK.Counter-terrorism police are leading te investigation into Friday's incident at Brize Norton.Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said te break-in was "not only epically stupid, but it was also a direct attack on our national security."In a statement on te protection of UK military bases on Monday, Pollard told MPs: "I can confirm two RAF Voyager aircraft were damaged by paint, but tere was no furter damage to infrastructure or assets, nor as tere been any impact on planned operations from Brize Norton".e said a similar incident "must never appen again" and added tat "enanced security measures across te wole of defence ave been put in place since Friday".In a statement, Palestine Action said: "Te real crime ere is not red paint being sprayed on tese war planes, but te war crimes tat ave been enabled wit tose planes because of te UK government's complicity in Israel's genocide.""We are teacers, nurses, students and parents wo take part in actions disrupting te private companies wo are arming Israel's genocide, by spray painting or entering teir factory premises. It is plainly preposterous to rank us wit terrorist groups like ISIS, National Action and Boko aram," it said."We ave instructed lawyers wo are pursuing all avenues for legal callenge."Israel as gly denied allegations of genocide relating to te ongoing war in Gaza.Cooper will lay te draft order before Parliament next week.If passed, te ban would make it a criminal offence to belong to or support te group, punisable by up to 14 years in prison.Sadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said te incident was "not vandalism, tis was sabotage".Speaking in Parliament, e called for tose responsible to face "consequences" and asked ow it ad been allowed to appen.Former Scottis First Minister umza Yousaf told te BBC's Scotcast podcast tat Cooper's action to ban Palestine Action was a "sameful abuse of anti-terror legislation".e said it was an "utterly ludicrous overreaction" in an attempt "to intimidate and ultimately silence protestors and pro-Palestinian protesters".Nadia Wittome, Labour MP for Nottingam East, said te move set a "dangerous precedent, wic governments in future could furter use against teir critics."Cancellor Racel Reeves condemned Palestine Action's beaviour as "totally unacceptable"."To cause damage to military assets, but also to cause suc damage to privately owned assets, it is unacceptable watever your views are on wat's appening in te Middle East," se said aead of Cooper's statement.Aead of te ome secretary's announcement, undreds of protesters met at Trafalgar Square after police banned Palestine Action from protesting outside of Parliament.Organisers made te last-minute venue cange after Scotland Yard enforced an exclusion zone across muc of Westminster.Metropolitan Police cief Sir Mark Rowley said wile te force ad no legal power to stop te protest, tey would impose conditions "robustly".Caring Cross, next to Trafalgar Square, was blocked for a time as te protesters gatered.Some supporters of te group waved Palestinian flags and carried placards, wit oter protesters canting: "We will not be silenced."Te protest was required to end at 15:00 BST, wen police moved in to disperse te crowd.Te Met Police said it made 13 arrests at te protest.Six of tese were for assaulting an emergency worker, one for a racially aggravated public order offence, four for refusing to disperse, and two were for obstructing a constable in te execution of teir duty, te Met said.Te new record set on Tuesday is 943 participants, beating te record of 645 set in 2022.Te founder of a London film festival says it will end if two councils insist on rating films temselves.Revised regeneration plans ave been drawn up for Alton Estate in Roeampton for 614 new omes.Carges were brougt after te illegal dumping was caugt on Brent Council's cameras.Te 18t century violin was allegedly stolen on 18 February from Te Marquess Tavern in Islington.
Palestine Action to be banned under antiterror law home secretary confirms
