UK to ban campaign group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws

 

LONDON, June 23 — In a significant escalation of domestic policy surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict, the UK government has announced plans to outlaw the activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation. The move comes just days after two of the group’s members reportedly broke into an RAF base and vandalized military aircraft.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the group’s actions “disgraceful,” citing their recent targeting of two Voyager transport planes at RAF Brize Norton, where activists sprayed paint into the engines and used crowbars to inflict damage. The government claims this attack, and others like it, threatens national security and justifies criminalization under terrorism laws.

If parliament approves the ban, membership in Palestine Action or promotion of its activities could carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison—placing the group alongside globally proscribed organizations like Hamas and ISIS.

Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in 2023, Palestine Action has gained notoriety for its confrontational tactics, particularly targeting UK sites linked to Israel's arms trade, such as those affiliated with Elbit Systems. Their goal: to disrupt what they view as Britain’s complicity in the Gaza conflict.

“This government will not tolerate those that put national security at risk,” Cooper said, justifying the ban by labeling the group’s behavior as increasingly aggressive and financially damaging—allegedly costing millions of pounds in repairs.

Under current law, the Home Secretary may outlaw any group believed to be involved in, promoting, or connected to terrorism. The proposed ban will be put before Parliament on June 30.

Palestine Action has hit back at the decision, calling it a “wild overreach” and vowing to challenge the ban legally. In a statement, the group dismissed Cooper’s claims as “categorically false” and argued that real crimes lie not in acts of protest, but in the UK’s military support for Israel.

“The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on these war planes,” the statement read, doubling down on the group’s belief that British arms are fueling the destruction in Gaza.

Adding to the tension, police this week barred the group from holding a protest outside Parliament—typically a key protest site—forcing a last-minute change in venue.

The proposed ban marks a new chapter in how Britain is managing protest movements connected to international conflicts. As tensions flare abroad, the debate intensifies at home over the limits of activism, free speech, and national security.