Four alleged members of the controversial protest group Palestine Action have been remanded in custody after over a £7million sabotage attack at RAF Brize Norton.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, all appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this afternoon charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
The charges relate to an incident in the early hours of June 20, when two Airbus Voyager aircraft at the Oxfordshire base — vital to UK military operations — were seriously damaged in what authorities describe as a coordinated break-in.
Today, the court heard that the suspects were allegedly involved in an operation that saw individuals use electric scooters to breach the secure perimeter of RAF Brize Norton, before targeting two military aircraft with spray paint, crowbars, and repurposed fire extinguishers.
Footage posted online by Palestine Action shortly after the incident shows a figure calmly riding a scooter along the runway, spraying paint into a jet engine before fleeing the scene.
District judge Daniel Sternberg said: ‘I with hold bail as there are substanital grounds you will make further offences if granted bail. Therefore you will be remanded to custody until your appearance in the Crown Court on the 18th July.’
As the four defendants were led away, their supporters in the gallery began shouting ‘Free Palestine’. One woman could be heard crying.
This is one of the RAF air-to-air military planes that was vandalised at Brize Norton last month
The red paint could also be seen on the runway, while protesters claimed they left a Palestine flag behind
Protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday waved Palestinian flags
The case comes just one day after the House of Commons voted to officially proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The motion was passed by a majority of 359 votes — with 385 in favour and 26 against — and is now due to be debated by the House of Lords on Thursday.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said this week: ‘The attack at RAF Brize Norton was just the latest episode in Palestine Action’s long history of harmful activity.’
He added: ‘Palestine Action has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of property damage featuring attacks that have resulted in serious damage to property and crossed the threshold from direct criminal action into terrorism.’
Following the June 20 sabotage, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) launched a major investigation, arresting the four defendants in London and Newbury on suspicion of terrorist offences.
A 41-year-old woman, also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been bailed until September 19, while a 23-year-old man was released without charge.
The protesters supporting the activists clapped and cheered as a prison van, believed to be holding the accused, arrived at court
Footage shows two protesters riding electric scooters across the runway at RAF Brize Norton
This is the moment red paint was allegedly sprayed into the turbine engines of the vital aircraft
Proscription will require Yvette Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.
In a defiant statement after the attack, Palestine Action claimed responsibility and said: ‘Britain isn’t just complicit, it’s an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.
‘By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.’
The Ministry of Defence condemned the incident, stating: ‘The UK’s defence estate is vital to our national security and this Government will not tolerate those who put that security at risk.’
RAF Brize Norton, the largest RAF base in the UK, is a strategic hub for air transport and aerial refuelling, with aircraft regularly flying to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The base employs 5,800 service personnel, along with hundreds of civilian staff and contractors.
