Labour backlash at plan to ban Palestine Action after vandalism of RAF planes - amid outrage at protest in Westminster today
Yvette Cooper is facing a Labour backlash at plans to ban Palestine Action in the wake of RAF planes being vandalised.
The Home Secretary is due to update MPs later on proposals to make it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group.
But Labour politicians have criticised the step as too far - while police have voiced concerns about a protest against the move due in Westminster later.
Ms Cooper is acting after Palestine Action posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.
The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police.
The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'.
Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.
Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group.
Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Former shadow attorney general Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has suggested the definition of terrorism was being set too broadly.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'They certainly committed acts of criminal trespass and criminal damage, painting planes at Brize Norton and so on, but I think that's not what most people would understand as terrorism, and to proscribe Palestine Action on the information that we have all seen, I think would be a new departure.
'It is one thing to be a threat to property, to be a nuisance, to be prosecuted, and in some cases even imprisoned for those criminal offences, but it's another thing altogether to proscribe a whole group, and that means anybody fairly vaguely associated with it, to ban them (as) terrorists.'
However, Lady Chakrabarti stressed she did not have access to secret intelligence on the group.
Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer said yesterday that vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton would not alone provide legal justification for proscribing the group.
Asked whether the group's actions were commensurate with proscription, Lord Falconer told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn't know.
'But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn't justify proscription so there must be something else that I don't know about.'
Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said the Government was 'abusing' anti-terror laws against pro-Palestine activists.
In a statement yesterday, Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley condemned the planned protest in Westminster.
'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action,' he said.
'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered.
'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. Multiple members of the group are awaiting trial accused of serious offences.
'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest.
'Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects.
'We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group. If that happens we will be determined to target those who continue to act in its name and those who show support for it.
'Until then we have no power in law to prevent tomorrow's protest taking place. We do, however, have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community, including to Parliament, to elected representatives moving around Westminster and to ordinary Londoners.
'Breaches of the law will be dealt with robustly.'
A spokesman for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide.
The spokesperson said: 'When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.'
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29 minutes ago
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Moment protest chaos erupts as group behind RAF Brize Norton raid to be ‘BANNED like terror organisation'
POLICE have been spotted clashing with Palestine Action protesters at a demonstration today - as the group is set to be put on par with terror groups. Shocking footage showed officers tackling activists as violent scenes erupted at a protest on Trafalgar Square in central London this afternoon. 6 6 6 In one video posted online, a group of four cops can be seen attempting to wrestle a single protester to the ground. Other activists swarm around the officers as they struggle to take down the man. It comes as the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced today she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action. She explained that she will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. The ban will see the organisation on par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State. The decision was made after activists from the pro-Palestinian group broke into RAF Brize Norton last week. Footage shared online showed two members breaking into the base and vandalising two planes in a "grotesque" breach of security. They spray red paint into the rear of one of the jet's two engines and deep into the aircraft itself. The pair of activists can then be seen roaming free across the grounds of the airbase on electric scooters. Brize Norton is the RAF 's largest airbase and home to more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel as well as the UK's largest military aircraft. The MoD slammed the "vandalism of Royal Air Force assets" in a scathing statement. A spokeswoman for the ministry said: "Our armed forces represent the very best of Britain. "They put their lives on the line for us, and their display of duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice are an inspiration to us all. "It is our responsibility to support those who defend us." The shocking break-in at the Oxfordshire base prompted a security review at military bases across the UK. Hundreds commented under videos of the activists' efforts on social media, asking how security could be "that lacking" at a major military air base. 6 6 6
Scottish Sun
29 minutes ago
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Moment protest chaos erupts as group behind RAF Brize Norton raid to be ‘BANNED like terror organisation'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) POLICE have been spotted clashing with Palestine Action protesters at a demonstration today - as the group is set to be put on par with terror groups. Shocking footage showed officers tackling activists as violent scenes erupted at a protest on Trafalgar Square in central London this afternoon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Police officers were forced to tackle Palestine Action protesters Credit: PA 6 The Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base Credit: PA 6 Protesters held banners during a protest in support of the pro-Palestinian group Credit: AFP In one video posted online, a group of four cops can be seen attempting to wrestle a single protester to the ground. Other activists swarm around the officers as they struggle to take down the man. It comes as the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced today she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action, putting it on par with a terror group. She explained that she will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. The decision was made after activists from the pro-Palestinian group broke into RAF Brize Norton last week. Footage shared online showed two members breaking into the base and vandalising two planes in a "grotesque" breach of security. They spray red paint into the rear of one of the jet's two engines and deep into the aircraft itself. The pair of activists can then be seen roaming free across the grounds of the airbase on electric scooters. Brize Norton is the RAF's largest airbase and home to more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel as well as the UK's largest military aircraft. The MoD slammed the "vandalism of Royal Air Force assets" in a scathing statement. A spokeswoman for the ministry said: "Our armed forces represent the very best of Britain. "They put their lives on the line for us, and their display of duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice are an inspiration to us all. "It is our responsibility to support those who defend us." The shocking break-in at the Oxfordshire base prompted a security review at military bases across the UK. Hundreds commented under videos of the activists' efforts on social media, asking how security could be "that lacking" at a major military air base. 6 The giant Voyager plane was left coated in red paint Credit: ITV News 6 The group broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised two planes Credit: AFP
Leader Live
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