Anti-Israel group that stormed UK air base, vandalized planes to challenge terror listing

LONDON — UK campaign group Palestine Action says it will challenge its planned proscription as a terrorist group, as the British government says it could be banned by the end of the week.

The government announces last week plans to designate the pro-Palestinian group as a terrorist organization after its activists broke into a British air force base and vandalized two planes.

The group, which has condemned the move as an attack on free speech, says an urgent hearing to challenge the proscription will be held at the High Court in London on Friday.

The challenge is backed by Amnesty International and other rights groups.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, says in a statement the proposed ban would have “far-reaching implications” on “fundamental freedoms of speech, expression and assembly in Britain.”

After announcing the measure last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper launched the process to ban the group on Monday in parliament.

The ban is set to be debated in parliament on Wednesday and Thursday, and could take effect from Friday.

Labour holds a massive majority in the House of Commons, meaning the proposal should pass easily.

Palestine Action says it’s seeking an injunction or interim relief from the courts “because of the Home Secretary’s decision to try to steamroll this through Parliament.”

Earlier this month, two of its activists broke into the RAF Brize Norton base in southern England and sprayed two planes with red paint.

The government cites previous damage claimed by the group in actions at a Thales defense factory in Glasgow in 2022 and on Israeli defense tech firm Elbit Systems UK last year in Bristol.