Three Palestine Action hunger strikers have finally ended their fast after up to 73 days of refusing food.
By Cormac Kelly
Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed and Lewis Chiaramello are all re-feeding. Their action was in opposition to the British government’s political and military support for Israel and its brutal crackdown on those who protest against the genocidal war in Gaza.
The prisoners, who are on remand awaiting trial, demanded that Palestine Action be de-proscribed and that the UK no longer offer contracts to companies such as Elbit UK which scandalously supplies arms and munitions to Israel in its brutal war on Gaza.
Four other hunger strikers imprisoned by the state also recently began re-feeding. They have suffered heart complications and some may be left with long-term neurological and cognitive disorders, dementia, vertigo, sight loss or extreme weakness as a result.
Justice delayed, justice denied
The hunger strikers have been locked up on remand whilst awaiting trial for alleged break-ins and criminal damage in the name of Palestine Action. These protests took place before the group was banned under repressive terrorism legislation. By the time they appear in court, some will have been held without trial for more than a year by a vindictive judiciary.
The strike was officially ended by all but one of those involved when a number of the campaign’s demands were met – at least partially.
In a significant climbdown, the government rejected the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems’ bid for a £2 billion defence contract that would have seen it train 60,000 British troops a year. This important victory was brought about by the bravery of the hunger strikers, coupled with the mass action in solidarity with them. The wider movement against the genocide in Gaza will also have been a major factor in this decision.
Importantly, Heba Muraisi will also be transferred back to HMP Bronzefield in Surrey from HMP New Hall, an isolated prison on the edge of the Pennines between Huddersfield and Wakefield. She will now be closer to her family and friends.
Palestine Action activists are alleged to have sabotaged military equipment at a manufacturing hub used by Elbit Systems in Filton, as well as to have broken into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two military planes with red paint. The state claims this caused millions of pounds of criminal damage. These RAF warplanes have reportedly been used to refuel Israel fighter jets in combat and to fly to Gaza from a base in Cyprus on spy missions to aid the Israeli government. Meanwhile, the weapons sabotaged at the Filton facility included killer drones, which are known to be used extensively to kill Palestinian civilians, including children.
The activists face the wrath of a particularly vengeful and vindictive state. They have been denied the right to a fair trial (legal documents have been withheld), to prompt and appropriate medical treatment, and to uncensored communications with their legal representatives. They are in jail enduring petty rules and punitive, draconian conditions imposed by a prison service determined to punish these young people even before they come to court. The conditions the activists face are particularly bad as the strikers have been classed as having a ‘terrorist connection’, on strongly contested legal grounds.
During the hunger strike, it required the decisive intervention of the Your Party MP Zarah Sultana, along with activists she helped mobilise to HMP Bronzefield, to ensure an ambulance was finally called for hunger striker Quesser Zurah. This eventually came after hours of Quesser making the request while she was suffering with severe chest pain. In a display of utter contempt, ministers refused to meet with the hunger strikers or their legal representatives at any point during the strike.
State repression
The strikers have not been bailed to appear in court despite none of them having been convicted or even accused of an offence against a person. It is a particular trait of British capitalism that a crime against property is considered more important than that against a person. A private sector firm has faced losses and someone must pay.
The war in Gaza has seen the callous slaughter of over 72,000 men, women and children, with thousands more injured and maimed. A famine was consciously engineered, while vital infrastructure and nearly all homes have been destroyed or damaged. Millions of Palestinians must survive this winter – in conditions of floods, storms and cold temperatures – with flimsy or zero shelter.
This has generated a mood of huge anger across the globe. Thousands of young people in particular have been radicalised and turned to protest and politics. Large, well organised and dignified demonstrations take place weekly. Protestors face provocative and aggressive behaviour from the police.
At a peaceful but loud solidarity demonstration at HMP New Hall on a dark mid winter evening in freezing conditions, supporters of Heba were pepper sprayed and driven back. The police sealed the entrance, bringing in reinforcements and a helicopter in a pathetic over-reaction. This crass behaviour is repeated all over the country against opponents of the war in Gaza.
The huge and sustained anti-war movement, together with the creation of Your Party, is the reaction to capitalist politicians standing behind Israel and giving cover to genocide. Starmer and his like have turned to using the tools of the state to oppress this opposition and attempt to ensure it does not get any bigger.
Hence the government has inaugurated a raft of repression aimed at undermining and criminalising pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The proscription of Palestine Action led to a 660% increase in arrests for terrorist related activity in 2025. Protestors, many elderly, have been arrested en masse for t-shirt and placard slogans. The police are now arresting people just for using the Arabic word ‘intifada’ – which means uprising – in another move to eliminate freedom to speak out and to organise on this issue. At the same time, the capitalist media has played its part in a blanket blackout of news about the hunger strikers.
The toadying Starmer was initially happy to see protesters die as it would demonstrate his so-called strength. But pressure built along with an understanding that news of dead hunger strikers could not be ignored by the media and could ignite even more, potentially massive protests. The government therefore moved to make certain concessions.
Workers take action
Ruling classes in a variety of countries are under pressure on this question. The Global Sumud Flotilla launched by tens of thousands showed the power of mass working class action. In Italy, a million people joined in a general strike and blockade of ports in disgust at the loss of human life, demanding an end to arms sales to Israel.
The escalation in state repression comes at the same time as a huge increase in military spending, endless pro-war propaganda, and cuts in education, health and welfare spending. The entire working class is under threat. Laws passed to suppress the pro-Palestine movement can quite easily be applied against trade unionists in the future.
Socialist Alternative calls for the abolition of all repressive laws used against peaceful protestors and supports a mass, working-class movement to end the genocide in Gaza. Further, we campaign for an end to the occupation, and for a socialist Palestinian state in a socialist Middle East. Only this will end the relentless wars across the region.
