Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes at UK military base

LONDON (Reuters) -Pro-Palestinian activists in Britain broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England on Friday where they damaged and sprayed red paint over two military aircraft used for refuelling and transportation.

The campaign group Palestine Action said two of its activists had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, spraying paint into the engines of the Voyager aircraft and causing further damage with crowbars.

"Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza 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."

Britain's defence ministry condemned the "vandalism" and said it was working with police to investigate.

"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," it said.

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

Police said they were investigating a report of people gaining access to the air base and causing criminal damage.

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.

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