Home Secretary to ban Palestine Action following CAA action

The Home Secretary will be banning Palestine Action, following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism.

This morning, Palestine Action claimed the sabotage of two RAF planes at a base in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.

Footage that was published on the group’s X account appeared to show someone spraying an aircraft with red paint.

According to Palestine Action, two activists “repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers and caused further damage using crowbars”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism recently wrote to the Home Secretary, calling for the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 and providing her with a detailed dossier on the group.

Palestine Action is a UK-based activist group which was formed in 2020. It has gained attention for what the organisation describes as “direct action” against companies and institutions which it considers to be linked to the Israeli Government, ranging from defence contractors to the BBC. The organisation is known for confrontational and criminal tactics, including damage to property, vandalism and the occupation of corporate or public facilities. Their most notable targets include Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defence contractor with subsidiary facilities throughout the United Kingdom. Since the 7th October 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas and the subsequent war between Hamas and Israel, Palestine Action has increasingly been targeting cultural and educational sites.

The group’s methods often involve the destruction of property, disruption of business operations, and threats to public safety. Palestine Action revels in these activities and writes extensively about them on its website. The organisation has also published a handbook named “The Underground Manual”, which includes instructions on everything from forming “cells”, to how to “pick a target”, and how to commit criminal damage in the most harmful way. The handbook includes instructions on what to wear, how to use a burner phone, and which tools to use to cause the greatest damage.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We are pleased that the Home Secretary has listened to our representations over the last week. Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets. We now urge her to urgently turn her attention to proscribing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ansar Allah (the Houthis). This country needs to clamp down on the domestic and foreign terrorists running amok on our soil.”