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A pro-Palestine protest group said two of its members had broken into the RAF’s Brize Norton airbase, damaged two military aircraft with spray paint before escaping the site without being detained.
Palestine Action released a short video on Friday morning showing two people driving electric scooters unimpeded inside the airbase at night, in what appears to be a significant and embarrassing breach of Ministry of Defence (MoD) security.
The group said it had targeted RAF Voyager aircraft used for transport and refuelling, and that “activists have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East”.
The MoD condemned the protest and described it as “vandalism of Royal Air Force assets”. It is working closely with police investigating the incident, a spokesperson added.
The duo used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into the turbines of the two planes, and attacked them with crowbars, the group said. Paint, symbolising bloodshed, was also sprayed on the runway and a Palestinian flag was left at the scene as shown in the footage.
Defence sources said the attack was also based on a misconception. The UK does not provide refuelling to support Israeli military operations, the person said. No planned flights or operations were affected, they added.
RAF Voyagers were used in April to support Typhoon jets bombing Houthi rebels near Sana’a in Yemen during the recent US-led Operation Rough Rider campaign against the group. The Houthis support Iran and Hamas, though the attack was in response to the Yemeni group’s attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
Brize Norton in Oxfordshire is the largest airbase in the UK, employing more than 6,000, and is home to the UK’s refuelling fleet. One of the Voyager aircraft, now repainted with a British flag, is used to fly the king and prime minister on official engagements, though it was not clear if it was at the base on Thursday night.
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Airbases and planes stationed on the ground are considered softer military targets – as demonstrated by recent Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web drone raid on grounded Russian aircraft. But it is a surprise that it was possible for two protesters to enter and exit a major RAF base at night without being arrested.
Palestine Action said planes from Brize Norton fly regularly to the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, used for British operations in the Middle East. More than 500 surveillance flights by Shadow R1 aircraft over the Gaza area have been flown by the RAF from Akrotiri in secretive missions the UK says are to aid hostage recovery.
The group accused the UK of being “an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East. By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened to break the chains of oppression.”
The MoD 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.”
