Palestine Action 'to be banned' as terror group, home secretary says

Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.

The action has been taken after the activist group claimed responsibility for breaking into RAF Brize Norton last week.

Footage released by the group showed them vandalising aircraft - with reports of damage totalling millions of pounds.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said "the disgraceful attack on Brize Norton" on Friday was "the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action"

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She said a draft proscription order will be laid in parliament next week and if passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.

Proscription can lead to prison sentences of up to 14 years for some offences, although some breaches are punishable with fines.

Saeed Taji Farouky, a member of the group, told Sky News the proscription was "completely irrational" and "without precedent".

He branded it a "knee-jerk reaction from the government" because the group "was able to humiliate them and show serious flaws in the defences of the RAF base".

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said a "full review" of security at military bases was under way, and the government was working alongside counter-terror police to find the activists who broke into the Oxfordshire base.

The group has also claimed responsibility for several incidents involving red paint being sprayed on businesses.

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A protest in support of Palestine Action was taking place on Monday in London.

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said he was "shocked and frustrated" that the action was going ahead.

He added that he had limited powers to stop the demonstration until proscription takes place.

The Metropolitan Police three people had been arrested at the Palestine Action protest in Trafalgar Square - two for obstruction and one for a "racially aggravated public order offence".

In her statement to parliament, Ms Cooper said Palestine Action "publicises and promotes its attacks involving serious property damage".

She said the group had claimed responsibility for an attack on a Jewish-owned business in north London, as well as causing millions of pounds of damage to defence businesses.

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The home secretary said, however, that if parliament supports the proscription, the right to "peaceful protest" will remain unaffected.

"It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in the UK's foreign policy, can continue to do so," she added.

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