Palestine Motion to be banned after RAF base break in

[ad_1] Chris Mason Political editor

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/077a/live/447d7200-4dfa-11f0-8c47-237c2e4015f5.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="BBC Red paint is seen on and around a Royal Air Force plane " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> BBC Pink paint could be seen on elements of the airplane

The house secretary will transfer to proscribe the Palestine Motion group within the coming weeks, successfully branding them as a terrorist organisation, the BBC understands.

Yvette Cooper is making ready a written assertion to place earlier than Parliament on Monday - which if handed will make turning into a member of the group unlawful.

The choice comes as a safety assessment begins at army bases throughout the UK, after pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two army planes with pink paint.

Palestine Motion stated it represented "each particular person" who's against Israel's army motion in Gaza, including: "In the event that they wish to ban us, they ban us all".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier condemned the teams' actions as "disgraceful," describing it as an "act of vandalism".

South East counter terrorism police confirmed its specialist officers had been investigating the incident alongside Thames Valley Police and the Ministry of Defence.

Counter-terrorism police added the incident occurred within the early hours of Friday and that enquiries had been "ongoing to determine the precise circumstances".

Footage posted on-line by Palestine Motion on Friday confirmed two individuals contained in the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one using on a scooter as much as an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet engine.

After sharing the footage, a spokesperson stated: "Regardless of publicly condemning the Israeli authorities, Britain continues to ship army cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets."

The group claimed its activists had evaded safety and had put the air-to-air refuelling tankers "out of service".

Nevertheless RAF engineers have been assessing the injury, with a defence supply earlier telling the BBC that they didn't anticipate the incident would have an effect on operations.

Watch: BBC appears to be like at how activists breached RAF base Brize Norton

Thames Valley Police stated it had acquired a report about individuals getting access to the bottom and inflicting legal injury.

"Inquiries are ongoing to find and arrest these accountable," the power stated.

The incident sparked outrage amongst some MPs, with Reform UK chief Nigel Farage and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick calling for the group to be banned.

For the reason that begin of the present battle in Gaza, Palestine Motion has engaged in actions which have predominantly focused arms firms. In Could, it claimed duty for the daubing of a US army airplane in Eire.

RAF Brize Norton serves because the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, together with flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The air power has performed reconnaissance flights over Gaza out of the Cyprus base.