UK Government Moves to Ban Palestine Action as Terror Group

Tone & Political Bias: Moderately Right-Leaning

Why: The article frames the group primarily through the lens of national security and criminal activity, heavily emphasizing the government’s rationale and language while offering minimal contextualization of Palestine Action’s motives or criticisms of UK foreign policy.

What’s Happening

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans to formally proscribe the activist group Palestine Action under the UK’s anti-terror laws. If Parliament approves the order next week, the group will be legally considered a terrorist organisation, making it a criminal offense to be a member or offer support.

This decision comes days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and spray-painted military aircraft red. The act was meant to protest UK military cooperation with Israel.

What the Ban Means

If the draft order is passed, it will become a criminal offense to:
- Be a member of Palestine Action
- Express support for the group
- Promote the group’s activities or provide resources
Penalties may include prison sentences of up to 14 years.

Cooper said the decision targets the organisation’s record of criminal activity and not peaceful pro-Palestinian advocacy. She stressed that “lawful protest groups” focusing on Palestine or Middle East policy remain protected.

Government Justification

Yvette Cooper described last week’s Brize Norton incident as a “disgraceful attack” and cited a pattern of behavior from Palestine Action involving “serious criminal damage.”

According to Cooper:

Palestine Action has caused over £1 million in damage since its founding in 2020.
In 2022, activists broke into a Thales defense factory in Glasgow, where they set off pyrotechnics and a smoke bomb. Damage was estimated at over £1.1 million.
In 2023, group members were arrested at Instro Precision in Kent for aggravated burglary. Others also entered the Elbit Systems UK office in Bristol.

She concluded that the group’s repeated targeting of military-linked sites represents a threat to national security.

The Group’s Response

Palestine Action has not denied the direct-action tactics but defends them as a response to what it calls UK complicity in Israel’s military actions.

Following the latest action at Brize Norton, the group 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.”

In reaction to the proscription, they stated:

“When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.”

Protest and Police Response

On the same day Cooper announced the ban, Palestine Action held a protest in central London, drawing hundreds of demonstrators.

The protest originally planned for Westminster was moved to Trafalgar Square after police imposed an exclusion zone.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers would enforce conditions “robustly.”
Three arrests were made:
- Two for obstruction
- One for a racially aggravated public order offense

Some attendees carried Palestinian flags and signs, chanting “We will not be silenced.”

Next Steps

Cooper will present the draft proscription order to Parliament next week. Approval would activate the ban immediately, subjecting anyone connected to the group to criminal penalties. The investigation into the Brize Norton incident is now being led by counter-terrorism police.