Despite the government’s best efforts, the support for justice for Palestine is still wide and strong in the UK, with support too for those at the front line in the struggle – among them, UK prison hunger strikers.
We are currently waiting for a verdict in the Woolwich trial of the #Filton6, as well as for the High Court to hand down a judgment on their Judicial Review challenging the lawfulness of Yvette Cooper’s proscription of Palestine Action (possibly paused until the Woolwich verdict is announced).
In the meantime, several prisoners on remand have taken part in a collective hunger strike, which began on Balfour Day 2025 (Nov 2). These are mostly people imprisoned while they wait for later trials, over alleged links to the same action at Elbit Systems’ flagship research & development factory in Filton near Bristol, along with a few other Palestine Action activists.
Their protests have focussed on the length of time they’ve been held and refused bail (many have already been in prison for 16 months, and some will be facing a total of two years or more before trial). They are also protesting about the targeted treatment they’ve received while in detention – none of them have been charged with any terrorism offences, and the Filton action took place a year before Palestine Action was proscribed, but they have had mail and clothing withheld, prison jobs refused, reduced association and prison visits.
Umer Khalid was arrested in July for alleged involvement in spraying paint on aircraft at Brize Norton. He took part in an initial hunger strike of 12 days, which he paused due to rapidly deteriorating health – he suffers from a rare genetic disorder, a form of Muscular Dystrophy putting him at much higher risk. Despite that, with no sign of capitulation from the authorities, Umer began a further 17 day hunger strike this month, and then started an extremely dangerous thirst strike on Friday night.
Many of the hunger strikers have suffered severe health complications as a result of their protests. Kamran Ahmed, who went without food for 67 days, is showing signs of serious damage to his heart. It appears Umer was admitted to hospital on Sunday morning and transferred to a critical care unit, but details are scarce – even his closest family have been denied information or any access to medical records. Despite suspected organ failure, he was discharged quickly back to prison.
It was there yesterday that HMP Wormwood Scrubs governor, Amy Frost, finally agreed to meet him – something he has been calling for throughout his protest. Following that meeting, Umer announced he was halting his strike after she reportedly agreed to various concessions.
At a press conference after the announcement, UCL lecturer Dr James Smith, an emergency physician who has made several visits to Gaza during the genocide, accused prison staff of not adhering to established guidance for the treatment of hunger strikers in the UK custodial or carceral system. MP John McDonnell agreed, and said that he would be taking the matter up with Justice Secretary David Lammy and demanding an inquiry.
Dr Smith also spoke of the dangers around ending a hunger strike, pleading for the authorities to ensure proper monitoring and care is in place to minimise risk and permanent damage. Unbelievably, when Umer ended his first hunger strike, he was offered protein shakes and biscuits – a dangerous divergence from any sensible refeeding plan.
Dr Asim Qureshi, from Cage International, reminded the press that Umer and the others are innocent until tried and convicted, and there is no legitimate reason that they could not be bailed under various conditions to prevent them ‘reoffending’. Instead, prisons are not just holding these remand prisoners, but putting them through a form of ‘pre-crime’ punishment. UK prisons are reflecting the current logic of larger society, the logic that our government is more interested in impunity for a settler colonial apartheid regime than with fulfilling international law obligations.
As mentioned at the start of this article, the hunger strikers have been at the front line of the UK’s support for Palestine. This was recognised in a statement by Ammar al-Zaben, a now exiled Palestinian who was released from an Israeli prison in the Toufan al-Ahrar prisoner exchange. He spoke on behalf of his fellow liberated prisoners, and described the hunger strikers as “heroic comrades and prisoners of freedom in the prisons of Britain”, part of a global battle against colonialism and the “Zionist occupation state”.
It’s hard to know exactly how much pressure the hunger strike has put on the UK regime, but it sits alongside continuing direct actions against the weapons industry and its support partners, public rebellion against the proscription of Palestine Action, and almost daily acts of solidarity against state repression. On Saturday evening, police arrested nearly 100 protesters outside Wormwood Scrubs prison – we’ve had it confirmed that Umer heard their chants and drums as he continued his thirst strike inside. Every day for weeks, protesters have been turning up outside the Filton trial, and they too can often be heard by defendants and the jury inside the courtroom.
Elbit Systems has suffered financial losses for years, but more importantly they have endured reputational loss too. The company was expecting to be awarded a ‘Collective Training Transformation Programme’ contract by the government, worth £2 billion, but the deal is now with Raytheon, after evidence and accusations of Elbit corruption were revealed. A few months earlier, the Israeli weapons company was also sanctioned by NATO and is under investigation for criminal corruption and bribery across Europe.
But while those trying to prevent war crimes are having to resort to hunger strikes to gain basic rights while on remand, Elbit passes off serious international criminal investigations by commenting it had “no knowledge of the allegations”.
As defence barrister Rajiv Menon KC remarked in his closing speech at the Filton trial, “Elbit remains in the shadows, hidden and protected, but not, ladies and gentlemen, in the corridors of power, where no doubt they are welcomed, wined, and dined, whilst Charlotte and all the other co-accused in this case have been denied bail and have been locked up for 17 months.”
Despite the protection and secrecy that Elbit Systems has enjoyed for many years, could recent events be a sign that their crimes are finally catching up with them, and cracks in their apparent invincibility are beginning to emerge?
