POLICE have been spotted clashing with Palestine Action protesters at a demonstration today – as the group is set to be put on par with terror groups.
Shocking footage showed officers tackling activists as violent scenes erupted at a protest on Trafalgar Square in central London this afternoon.
Police officers were forced to tackle Palestine Action protesters[/caption]
The Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action following the group’s vandalism of two planes at an RAF base[/caption]
Protesters held banners during a protest in support of the pro-Palestinian group[/caption]
In one video posted online, a group of four cops can be seen attempting to wrestle a single protester to the ground.
Other activists swarm around the officers as they struggle to take down the man.
It comes as the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced today she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action, putting it on par with a terror group.
She explained that she will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal.
The decision was made after activists from the pro-Palestinian group broke into RAF Brize Norton last week.
Footage shared online showed two members breaking into the base and vandalising two planes in a “grotesque” breach of security.
They spray red paint into the rear of one of the jet’s two engines and deep into the aircraft itself.
The pair of activists can then be seen roaming free across the grounds of the airbase on electric scooters.
Brize Norton is the RAF’s largest airbase and home to more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel as well as the UK’s largest military aircraft.
The MoD slammed the “vandalism of Royal Air Force assets” in a scathing statement.
A spokeswoman for the ministry said: “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 is our responsibility to support those who defend us.”
The shocking break-in at the Oxfordshire base prompted a security review at military bases across the UK.
Hundreds commented under videos of the activists’ efforts on social media, asking how security could be “that lacking” at a major military air base.
The giant Voyager plane was left coated in red paint[/caption]
The group broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised two planes[/caption]
