Pro-Palestinian activists broke into Britain’s largest air base and damaged two military aircraft in central England early Friday.
Palestine Action, a UK-based group that aims to disrupt the operations of weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli government, posted footage of the action to its X account.
The video shows two people riding on electric scooters on the tarmac of RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire.
The activists can be seen spraying red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyagers, which they said were targeted for their alleged role in carrying military cargo and for their use in refueling Israeli, American and British military aircraft and fighter jets.
“Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East,” a Palestine Action spokesperson said in a statement.
“By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people,” it added.
The incident raises wider questions as to how the activists – who have not been apprehended – managed to get into the airbase undetected. RAF Brize Norton has approximately 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence strongly condemned the “vandalism of Royal Air Force assets” and said that it was working with police who were investigating the breach.
In a statement posted to X, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “an act of vandalism” and said it was “disgraceful.”