Life at Risk: Palestine Action Hunger Strike Escalates in UK Prisons

Six prisoners in the United Kingdom linked to the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action are on a hunger strike, placing them at "immediate risk" of death, according to a stark warning from hundreds of healthcare professionals. The protest, against prolonged pre-trial detention and the UK's ties to an Israeli arms firm, has escalated into a critical standoff, drawing parallels to one of the most contentious moments in modern British history.

The Protestors and Their Demands

The six individuals, aged 20 to 31, are accused of involvement in break-ins and criminal damage last year at a UK factory run by Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, and a Royal Air Force base where two military aircraft were spray-painted. They deny all charges. Some have now been held on remand for over a year, far exceeding the UK's statutory six-month limit for pre-trial detention.

The protestors frame their actions as solidarity with Palestinians, citing the Gaza war's death toll of over 70,000 as a "moral failing by Western governments." Two of the strikers were hospitalized last week. According to supporters, Teuta Hoxha, on day 40 of her strike, is suffering from severe health issues and is "preparing to die." Amu Gib has lost more than 10kg, with most health indicators now below the normal range.

A Political and Medical Crisis

The situation has triggered urgent alarms. On December 18, over 800 doctors wrote to Justice Secretary David Lammy, warning of the "real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence."

There’s a real anxiety now about what the hell is going on. Why aren’t we intervening as a government? Why aren’t we sorting this out? There’s an increasing worry that we’re in a situation now which is highly risky.

Political pressure is mounting. More than 50 Members of Parliament have urged Lammy to meet with the hunger strikers' lawyers, and an online petition by Avaaz has gathered over 20,000 signatures. A spokesperson for one of the prisons stated that all prisoners are managed according to government policies and encouraged them to use internal channels to address complaints.