Overview

• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has decided to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 and will lay a draft proscription order before Parliament next week to criminalise membership or support
• The move follows activists’ break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where two Airbus Voyager aerial refuelling tankers were sprayed with red paint, causing millions of pounds in damage
• Metropolitan Police imposed an exclusion zone around Westminster and arrested more than a dozen people after clashes erupted during a Trafalgar Square rally in support of Palestine Action
• Human rights advocates, including Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, argue that classifying direct-action protest as terrorism sets a dangerous precedent that could curb legitimate demonstrations
• The Home Office has opened an investigation into the group’s funding amid concerns over suspected Iranian links and its lack of financial transparency