UK faces pressure over hunger-striking Palestine Action prisoners
The prisoners, all on remand and facing charges including aggravated burglary and criminal damage, have refused food for several weeks. Supporters reported that two more have been hospitalized, heightening fears of potentially fatal outcomes.
“These prisoners are now seriously ill. Amu Gib is on day 50 of their hunger strike while Kamran Ahmed is on day 42. After this length of time without food, they are at very high risk of organ failure, irreversible neurological damage and death,” said Mothin Ali, co-deputy leader of the Green Party. Ali criticized the government for inaction, stating, “This horrific situation could have been prevented if ministers had agreed to meet with representatives of the hunger strikers and hear their concerns and demands.”
The strikers’ demands include immediate bail, an end to censorship of their communications, a fair trial, the deproscription of Palestine Action, and the closure of Elbit Systems’ UK operations. Elbit, an Israel-based defense firm, produces much of Israel’s drone fleet and military equipment and runs factories in the UK.
Ali described the situation as “a terrible indictment of this government’s failure that these prisoners feel forced into using the only tool they have left – their own bodies – to draw attention to the injustices and maltreatment they are experiencing.”
At a Downing Street briefing, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said there were no plans for ministers to meet the hunger strikers’ representatives. While calling the situation “very concerning,” he noted hunger strikes were not new, citing an average of more than 200 annually over the past five years. He added that prison health care teams were providing NHS care and “continuously monitoring the situation,” dismissing claims that hospital care was being denied as “entirely misleading.”
Several MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, have called for intervention, urging Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor to act as concern grows over the strikers’ deteriorating condition.
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