Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes at UK military base

LONDON - Pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England on Friday, damaging and spraying red paint over two planes used for refuelling and transport.

Palestine Action said two members had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, putting paint into the engines of the Voyager aircraft and further damaging them with crowbars.

"Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets," the group said in a statement, posting a video of the incident on X.

"Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "vandalism" as "disgraceful" in a post on X.

Britain's defence ministry and police were investigating.

"It is our responsibility to support those who defend us," the defence ministry said.

A spokesperson for Starmer said the government was reviewing security across all British defence sites.

Palestine Action is among groups that have regularly targeted defence firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza.

The group said it had also sprayed paint on the runway and left a Palestine flag there.

The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led Palestinian militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.

US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents and caused a severe hunger crisis.

The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.