New 'Yvette Cooper' protest group springs up amid Palestine Action ban

A new protest group named after the UK's home secretary has been formed following the government's plans to proscribe Palestine Action (PA) as a terrorist group over its direct action in solidarity with Gaza.

The "Yvette Cooper" group - named after the minister who has spearheaded the designation of PA  as a terror group - on Thursday targeted a firm in Birmingham accused of links to Israel.

"BREAKING: Newly launched direct action group 'Yvette Cooper' targets Time Logistics, who transport weaponry for Israel's biggest weapons firm," the group wrote on X in a post that included a video purportedly showing a lorry belonging to the company being sprayed with red paint.

Time Logistics is named by PA as one of its target firms due to it allegedly being "used by Elbit Systems and specifically UAV Tactical Systems Leicester". However, there appears to be no public record of such links.

While the 'Yvette Cooper' group has no known links to Palestine Action, the group has shown similarities in its tactics and advocacy of the Palestinian cause.

Who are 'Yvette Cooper'?

The 'Yvette Cooper' group's X profile, which has over 6,000 followers, describes its mission statement as: "A direct action group aimed at ending British complicity with genocide. Our name is a parody, but the mission is real."

The group only follows one profile on X, that of the Daily Telegraph - a right-leaning British newspaper.

In another post on 28 June, the group showed another direct action protest targeting a building owned by investment firm BNY Mellon.

"BREAKING: Inspired by Palestine Action, new direct action 'Yvette Cooper' takes action against BNY Mellon's investment firm, shareholders in Israel's biggest weapons producer. Yvette Cooper may try to ban Palestine Action, but will she ban herself?" the post, which included a video of activists smashing windows and spraying red paint, says.

BNY Mellon's Manchester office has also been targeted by Palestine Action, leading to the ongoing prosecution of four of the group's members.

Palestine Action banned

British lawmakers this week decided to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and sprayed paint on two planes in protest against Britain's support for Israel.  

Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, asked London's High Court on Friday to pause the designation as a terror group ahead of hearing on the legality of the move later this month. 

The challenge presented by Ammori was backed by Amnesty International and other rights groups.

In hearing the challenge, Justice Martin Chamberlain noted that plans to ban Palestine "preceded" the group's actions at the RAF base.

Pro-Israel groups in the UK have campaigned for Palestine Action to be banned, as well as other forms of protest against Israel's actions.

Activists have slammed the move to proscribe Palestine Action as an attack on the right to peacefully protest.

The ban on Palestine Action is set to come into effect at midnight on Saturday.