What is Palestine Action? As of Today, a Terrorist Organization
- Ofek Kehila
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
For five years now, the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action has been wreaking havoc in a series of vandalism acts across the United Kingdom. The group’s latest attack targeted at the RAF Brize Norton Station was the final straw, and as of today, it is officially considered a terrorist organization. What is Palestine Action? What is the extent of the group’s activity? And what are the reasons behind its proscription as a terrorist organization along with ISIS and Al Qaida? Let’s delve into the history of the group and current events.
What is Palestine Action?
The pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action was founded in 2020 by British activists Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard. The group’s main aim is to disrupt the arms industry in the UK via vandalism, occupation, and destruction of property in protest against what its members say is Britain’s support for Israel. In 2025, the group was added to the Terrorism Act 2000 and is now proscribed as a terrorist organization.
Palestine Action: From 2020-2025
On July 30, 2020, Palestine Action’s activists broke into and vandalized the UK headquarters of Elbit Systems (London), an Israel-based international military technology company.
In May 2021, several group members occupied the roof of an Elbit-owned drone factory in Meridian Business Park, Leicester, for six days. The same year, Palestine Action staged similar occupations in other places across England, such as Bristol and Tamworth.
In April 2022, two group members chained themselves to the gates of UAV Tactical Systems Ltd’s factory, located in Braunstone.
In June 2023, the group damaged the property and machines of the Machinery supplier Hydrafeed.
In November 2023 and May 2024, Palestine Action activists targeted weapons company Leonardo S.p.A., vandalizing the company’s UK head office in Piccadilly and a factory in Crewe Toll.
On March 16, 2025, four Palestine Action activists vandalized an Elbit site at Aztec West near Bristol, smashing the building’s windows and throwing red paint.
In addition, Palestine Action vandalism was targeted at several universities across England, such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Manchester. Attempts were also made to attack the London Stock Exchange.
The RAF Brize Norton incident
In June 2025, Palestine Action’s members broke into RAF Brize Norton, the largest station of the UK’s Royal Air Force, and sprayed red paint into the engines of two refueling planes, claiming that the RAF supports the Israeli Air Force. The incident caused around £7 million worth of damage. In the aftermath of the RAF Brize Norton incident, four of the group’s members were arrested on terror offences, and the United Kingdom’s Interior Ministry announced that Palestine Action would be designated as a proscribed terrorist organization.
Proscription and ensuing events
On July 2, 2025, following the RAF Brize Norton incident and continuous activity between 2020-2025, the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK’s Parliament, voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. The House of Lords quickly accepted the order. Since July 5, 2025, the group was officially added to the Terrorism Act 2000, a general Terrorism Act passed by the UK Parliament. Thus, Palestine Action joins a list of more than 80 proscribed organizations that are involved in terrorism in the UK and worldwide, such as Al Qaida, Boko Haram, Hamas, Hezbollah, and ISIS. Offenses such as membership in Palestine Action or fundraising for the group carry a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
On July 5, 2025, hours after Palestine Action’s proscription came into effect, British police arrested over 20 people suspected of terrorism offenses after a rally in support of the group.
As of today, former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters faces prosecution for expressing support for Palestine Action in a video posted on X.
Wrap up
Judging from recent events, the British are serious in their intention to charge and arrest all those who belong, fundraise, or publicly support Palestine Action, including founders, members, and followers. With varying offenses that can result in months to years of prison, Roger Waters may be the first but hardly the last public figure to face persecution for supporting the group.
Ofek Kehila (Israel, 1987) is a scholar of Spanish Golden Age literature and Latin American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. His research bridges the gap between those traditions, highlighting their aesthetic, cultural, and historical dialogue. He holds a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2022) and was a postdoctoral fellow at Freie Universität Berlin (2023-2025).