LONDON: A pro-Palestinian group said on Friday two of its activists broke into a British air force base in central England, damaging and spraying red paint over two planes used for refuelling and transport.

Palestine Action said the 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.”

British 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 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.

Published in Dawn, June 21th, 2025