---
title: "Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes at UK military base"
description: "LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - 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 transportation."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-06-20-pro-palestinian-activists-damage-planes-at-uk-military-base/"
published: "2025-06-20T13:17:53"
updated: "2025-06-20T13:17:54"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 210
---

# Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes at UK military base

> LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - 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 transportation.

By Reuters · Published 20 June 2025, 15:17 SAST · Updated 20 June 2025, 15:17 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic act of protest, two members of Palestine Action took a crowbar to British military complicity, leaving a splash of paint and a Palestine flag at Brize Norton, while Prime Minister Starmer labeled their antics as "disgraceful"—a fittingly British response to an increasingly messy geopolitical tableau.
- Palestine Action claims responsibility for vandalizing Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton base, using paint and crowbars.
- The group accuses Britain of complicity in the Gaza conflict, alleging active participation in military operations.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the act as "disgraceful," while the Defence Ministry emphasized support for the Armed Forces.
- Palestine Action has targeted UK defense firms linked to Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict, leaving a Palestine flag at the scene.

## Content

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](https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-hamas/) and refuel U.S./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.

"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," the ministry said.

"It is our responsibility to support those who defend us."

Palestine Action is among groups that have regularly targeted [defence firms](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3K00GU&linkedFromStory=true) and [other companies](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3LK0C7&linkedFromStory=true) 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.

(Reporting by William James, writing by Sarah Young; editing by Michael Holden and Andrew Cawthorne)