By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 1712 EAT on Friday 27 June 2025

UK police have arrested four people in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest at a Royal Air Force base in England, during which military aircraft were vandalised.

The protest, claimed by the direct-action group Palestine Action, took place on June 20 at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where two activists broke into the base and sprayed red paint on two aircraft used for refuelling and transport operations.

UK police have arrested four people in connection with a pro-Palestinian protest at a Royal Air Force base in England, during which military aircraft were vandalised.

The protest, claimed by direct-action group Palestine Action, took place on June 20 at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where two activists broke into the base and sprayed red paint on two planes used for refuelling and transport operations.

According to a statement by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), the arrests were made on Friday in London and Berkshire.

A 29-year-old woman and two men aged 36 and 24 were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. A 41-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The incident is part of a wider campaign by Palestine Action targeting sites linked to UK military infrastructure and arms companies. The group has claimed previous actions as part of its opposition to the UK’s military ties with Israel.

Authorities have not confirmed whether the individuals arrested were directly involved in the break-in at the base.

In a statement following the arrests, Palestine Action condemned the government’s response, accusing it of being “in the pocket of the weapons companies arming Israel’s war crimes.”

The group has carried out multiple direct actions targeting sites it claims are complicit in supplying arms to Israel, including factories and offices linked to the defence industry.

The case is being handled by counter-terrorism officers, underscoring the seriousness with which authorities are treating the protest.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the act as “disgraceful.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper moved to proscribe Palestine Action following the incident, with the arrests coming just one week before the ban is due to take effect. If approved by Parliament, the proscription would make support for the group a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

“Proscribing Palestine Action is a political gesture to satisfy pro-Israel groups and arms companies who have been lobbying for us to be banned because we’re hitting their profits and having a real impact on Israel’s war machine,” a spokesperson for the group said on X. The group also described the move as an attack on free speech and an “unhinged reaction.”

The government, meanwhile, said last week that it was reviewing security at all British defence sites in response to the incident.

Palestine Action has carried out other demonstrations, including spraying red paint on the London offices of Allianz Insurance and vandalising former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, southern Scotland.

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