BREAKING: Palestine Action proscribed as terror group by Yvette Cooper amid angry clashes

Protest group Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terror organisation after activists damaged two RAF planes last week.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the move as protesters clashed with police in Trafalgar Square. Ms Cooper said in a written statement that the group had "orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions".

This included supplies to Ukraine, she said. Ms Cooper went on: "In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government. These include attacks at Thales in Glasgow in 2022; and last year at Instro Precision in Kent and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol.

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"The seriousness of these attacks includes the extent and nature of damage caused, including to targets affecting UK national security, and the impact on innocent members of the public fleeing for safety and subjected to violence. The extent of damage across these three attacks alone, spreading the length and breadth of the UK, runs into the millions of pounds."

The group earlier said: "If they want to ban us, they ban us all". Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley branded it an "organised extremist criminal group" and said he was "shocked and frustrated" ahead of the demonstration.

Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, a former Labour shadow attorney general, said: "They certainly committed acts of criminal trespass and criminal damage, painting planes at Brize Norton and so on, but I think that's not what most people would understand as terrorism, and to proscribe Palestine Action on the information that we have all seen, I think would be a new departure."