The Brize Norton case explained

In the early hours of 20 June 2025, two people entered RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, the UK's largest RAF station, and rode electric scooters across the airfield to two Voyager tanker planes. Using repurposed fire extinguishers, they sprayed red paint into the planes' jet engines and reportedly caused further damage with crowbars, then left the base. Palestine Action claimed responsibility, saying it was protesting the UK's military support for Israel's war on Gaza. Full explainer.

Six people are accused: Amu Gib, Jon Cink, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, Lewie Chiaramello, Muhammad Umer Khalid and Lara Downes. The first five, originally known as the Brize Norton 5, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey in January 2026; Lara Downes, charged in 2026, also denies the charges. All six are held on remand. The first five will have spent about 18 months in prison by the time of their trial on 25 January 2027 without being convicted of anything. Who are the accused?

All six face two charges: conspiracy to commit criminal damage, and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023. It is the first time the Act has been used against a domestic protest group. The section 4 charge carries a maximum of 14 years, and requires no foreign power to be involved. The charge needs the personal consent of the Attorney General or Solicitor General; Richard Hermer was Attorney General at the time. Section 4 explained.

Prosecutors have said repairs cost £1.7 million and could rise to just under £15 million; police put the figure at about £7 million. But Freedom of Information requests by Declassified UK found the Ministry of Defence could not substantiate any of these figures. The £7 million figure came from AirTanker, the private company that owns the planes. AirTanker's own chief executive said both planes were back in service within 21 days. The damage figures.

Not the RAF. The Voyagers are owned by AirTanker, a private consortium, under a private finance initiative (PFI) signed in 2008 and running to 2035. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee said in 2010 that using PFI for the £10.5 billion deal "has not secured value for money", and BBC Newsnight reported that the RAF paid £150 million per plane through the lease when they could have been bought for about £50 million each. The AirTanker deal.

Brize Norton is the starting point for RAF flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, from where RAF Shadow R1 surveillance planes flew around 590 missions over Gaza. At least nine Israeli Air Force planes, including refuelling aircraft, landed at Brize Norton between September 2024 and June 2025, the last eleven days before the protest. Both damaged Voyagers had been operating from Akrotiri in the week before the protest, as war broke out between Israel and Iran. The chain of support.

There is no evidence they did, and it is unlikely they could have. RAF Voyagers use the probe-and-drogue refuelling system, while Israel's main fighter jets can only be refuelled by boom. The documented links between the base and Israel's campaign are the Akrotiri flights, the Israeli military planes at Brize Norton and the surveillance flights. Probe, drogue and boom explained.

Amnesty International concluded in December 2024 that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded the same in September 2025. Before the protest, the International Court of Justice had ordered Israel to take emergency steps under the Genocide Convention, and the International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. What was known before 20 June 2025.

Days after the protest, the government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper citing Brize Norton in her statement to Parliament. The High Court ruled the ban unlawful in February 2026; the Court of Appeal reinstated it in June 2026; the Supreme Court heard the final appeal on 4–5 November 2026. Supporting a proscribed group remains a criminal offence while the ban stands. How the ban happened.

The trial of the six is due to begin on 25 January 2027 at Woolwich Crown Court. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb is the judge handling the case. Full case timeline.

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