Palestine Action say its activists entered RAF Brize Norton, the largest air force base in Britain, and damaged two Airbus Voyager military planes. In a press release the group said two activists broke in using electric scooters, and targeted the planes with crowbars, and red paint sprayed from repurposed fire extinguishers, “symbolising Palestinian bloodshed”. Both activists appear to have made their escape. Daily flights leave the base to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, used for military operations across the Middle East, including hundreds of surveillance missions in support of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Brize Norton also recently hosted Israeli Air Force transport flights. Airbus Voyagers can be used to carry military cargo and refuel military aircraft. They have been used to refuel RAF and US military planes during their bombing runs in Yemen, which killed hundreds. Akrotiri is also used to the transport US military cargo to transport US military cargo to the Israeli military. In a speech to troops at Akrotiri in December 2024, Keir Starmer stated that “Quite a bit of what goes on here can’t necessarily be talked about […] we can’t necessarily tell the world what you’re doing”. This speech was made after Israel had already massacred tens of thousands in Gaza, with reconnaissance flights from Akrotiri contributing up to 1,000 hours of footage of Gaza used to assist Israel. “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets”, said a spokesperson for the group, who stated that that “by decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.”

---

Image: Palestine Action