SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Pro-Palestinian activists break into UK's largest air base
London, June 20 (AFP) Jun 20, 2025
Pro-Palestinian activists broke into the UK's largest air force base in southeast England and vandalised two planes in an act condemned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "disgraceful" on Friday.

"The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful," Starmer said on X after campaign group Palestine Action posted a video claiming to show its activist breaking into the Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire.

In the video posted on X, the activists appear to spray a plane with red paint while roaming the base on scooters.

"Palestine Action break into RAF Brize Norton and damage two military aircrafts," claimed the group, which has been behind several stunts protesting the UK's role in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The government said a "full security review" was underway at the air base.

"We're reviewing security across the whole defense estate," a government spokesperson said, adding that the incident did not impact any aircraft movement plans or operations.

"We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets. We are working closely with the police who are investigating," the Ministry of Defence said.

Local police said they launched an investigation into reports of "criminal damage" and a break-in.

RAF Brize Norton serves as a hub for air-to-air refuelling forces and supports overseas operations, including flights to the RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain's largest air force base in the Middle East.

According to British media, one of the planes vandalised was an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker.

"Despite publicly condemning the Israeli Government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets," Palestine Action said in a statement.

"Britain isn't just complicit, it's an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East."

Last month, the group claimed responsibility for vandalising a US military aircraft in Ireland.

Starmer's Labour government suspended around 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel last September, citing a "risk" they could be used in violations of international law.

But the UK continues to supply components for F-35 fighter jets to a global pool that Israel is able to access.

Israel has repeatedly denied allegations that it is committing a genocide in Gaza during its 20-month-long military campaign following Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023.

aks/giv

X

Airbus Group


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Interference to astronomy the unintended consequence of faster internet
Russian rocket puts Iran satellite into space: Iran media
Viasat unveils IoT Nano service for global low-power connectivity

24/7 Energy News Coverage
NASA's X-59 moves under its own power
Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 bn over marine disaster
More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
New MachLab rocket test site launches UK into next phase of space engineering
Ukraine's anti-graft body says new bill restores independence
Iran meets European powers amid threats of UN sanctions snapback

24/7 News Coverage
Australia's mammal megafauna face long-term decline from extinctions and invasive species
Alien life clues may emerge from deep sea volcanic vents on Earth
Seismic signatures reveal fragmentation patterns of fireball meteoroids



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.