Seven individuals were apprehended on Sunday morning in Suffolk, following a protest at Lakenheath airbase. The arrests were made on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, a group currently proscribed in the UK. The protest involved a peace encampment that established a blockade outside the main gate of the airbase.

The demonstration was prompted by recent media reports suggesting that a US fighter jet, shot down in Iran on Friday, had originated from the Lakenheath facility. This incident escalated tensions and led to the formation of the encampment, which commenced on Wednesday and was planned to continue until Monday.

Prior to Sunday's arrests, two other individuals, Michelle Macdonagh of Stroud, Gloucestershire, and Yvan Cormier-Scott from Southsea, Hampshire, had been arrested and charged on Saturday with wilful obstruction of a highway. Both have been granted bail and are scheduled to appear at Ipswich magistrates court.

The Lakenheath Alliance for Peace issued a statement regarding the seven Sunday arrests, noting that a group of protesters were wearing tabards emblazoned with the message, 'We oppose genocide. We support Palestine Action'. They indicated that more information would be released subsequently.

Adding a complex legal dimension, the high court ruled in February that the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was unlawful. However, the group remains banned pending an appeal by the Home Office, creating an ambiguous legal landscape for its supporters.

Suffolk police confirmed the arrests, stating, “Police have arrested seven people, five men and two women, in Lakenheath on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation. They have been taken to Bury St Edmunds police investigation centre for questioning.” The police emphasized their duty to enforce the law as it currently stands, not as it might be in the future, and affirmed that appropriate action would be taken where offences are believed to have occurred.

This event is part of a broader pattern, with over 2,700 people having been arrested for supporting Palestine Action since it was proscribed under the Terrorism Act last summer by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper. Many of these arrests have been made simply for holding placards expressing support for the group.

At the outset of the protest, the organizers of the encampment had delivered a letter to the Lakenheath base commanders. This letter conveyed their profound concerns regarding a “disregard for international law” by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and articulated their strong opposition to the ongoing use of British bases by the US air force.