Two pro-Palestinian activists from the group Palestine Action are currently on the British police wanted list after infiltrating a Royal Air Force (RAF) base and damaging two aircraft at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
As gathered, the pair gained access to the base and targeted two Voyager aircraft, planes primarily used for refuelling and military transport.
In a video shared on Friday, the activists are seen spraying red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers, which they claimed were involved in transporting military cargo and refueling Israeli, American, and British military aircraft and fighter jets.
Palestine Action, a UK-based group aiming to disrupt the operations of weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli government, posted footage of the incident to its x account.
In a statement, the group said: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza, and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets.” It described the UK as “an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.”
“By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action has directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people,” the statement added.
Confirming the incident, Britain’s Ministry of Defence condemned the action, stating: “We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets.”
Similarly, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a post shared on social media, condemned the incident, describing the act of vandalism as “disgraceful” and unacceptable.
The government said the two planes are currently being inspected for damage and confirmed that the incident has not disrupted any planned aircraft movements or operations.
“A full security review is underway at Brize Norton,” said Starmer’s office. “We are reviewing security across the entire defence estate.”
Aircraft from Brize Norton, located 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus—Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East.
The UK has deployed additional Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the recent outbreak of conflict between Israel and Iran, in what Starmer described as “contingency support.”
