Pro-Palestine prisoners have been holding a collective hunger strike for more than a month

Pro-Palestine activists awaiting trial have been holding a hunger strike in prisons across Britain – with two now on day 39 without food.

Qesser Zurah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha and Kamran Ahmed have all been on hunger strike for more than a month.

All are denied bail after their alleged involvement in Palestine Action raids on an arms factory owned by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest manufacturer for weapons, and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Lewie Chiaramello has also been refusing to eat, now for over 17 days, and Muhammed Umer Khalid for more than a week.

So far Kamran was hospitalised on November 25 after going into his fourth week of a hunger strike, and his sister, Shahmina Alam, is fearing the very worst.

And Teuta was hospitalised two days later, on November 27, as her health deteriorated rapidly, according to campaign group Prisoners For Palestine (PFP). 

Concerns are now mounting over the condition of the activists, who have been in prison for well over a year before they are tried, breaking the UK’s six-month pre-trial detention limit.

Their prosecution, which has drawn international scrutiny, has become a test case for how the government – under Sir Keir Starmer – is dealing with pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Last week, Kamran’s sister, Shahmina, attempted to convince deputy prime minister, David Lammy, to hear the activists’ demands, pointing to their deteriorating health.

She said: ‘My name is Shahmina and I am one of the sisters of the hunger strikers. We have been waiting for you to respond and the ministry of justice to respond.’

Footage showed Lammy responding, ‘I do not know anything about this’ as he tried to run away and avoid the crowd of protesters who had gathered.

Multiple MPs – from John McDonnell to Jeremy Corbyn – have criticised the lack of engagement from the government.

McDonnell raised a point of order in the House of Commons yesterday saying that the justice secretary had failed to respond to previous letters on the matter.

‘This is a matter of urgency and I would’ve expected at least the courtesy of some response even if he’s not willing to meet us,’ he said.

Meanwhile, speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also responded that it is ‘totally unacceptable.’

Zarah Sultana, Coventry South MP, also said the government has offered ‘no response, no accountability and no action’ 39 days after the first activists began their hunger strike.

In a post on X, she said: ‘Lewie Chiaramello, a diabetic hunger-striker, is being moved between prisons again.

‘Last time, his insulin and needles were taken from him – a life-threatening act of negligence. His loved ones are terrified it will happen again.’

Among the list of the activists’ demands to end their hunger strike is bail as well as the right to a fair trial.

The group is also calling for the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which was banned under terrorism legislation in July.

Qesser, who has been on strike for more than 38 days, was arrested at the age of 19 and was previously the youngest activist jailed for allegedly taking action for Palestine.

This was until her younger brother Salaam, aged 18, was also arrested by counter-terrorism police in July in connection with the action in the Elbit Systems plant in Filton, Bristol.

The Prisoners for Palestine campaign group claims that prison staff at the HMP Bronzefield have forced Qesser to remove her kuffiyah hijab, and have confiscated all of her hijabs with the pattern from her cell.

A statement from her on their website says: ‘They won’t imprison us all, they know if they fill the prisons with activists, we will overpower them from within.

‘So flood the damn streets in your millions. Shut down these factories in your thousands! They can never arrest the resistance in our smiles.’

Responding to reports of the worsening condition of members of the Filton 24, Kerry Moscogiuri, director of campaigns and communications at Amnesty International UK, warned that the country’s anti-terrorism laws are ‘excessively broad and open to misuse’ as it is demonstrated in this case.

‘She said: ‘Amnesty International is seriously concerned at reports of the worsening condition of members of the Filton 24 who are on hunger strike.

‘Amnesty has consistently opposed the use of anti-terrorism powers in these cases. They have been used to justify excessively lengthy pre-trial detention and draconian prison conditions.

‘The UK’s anti-terrorism laws are excessively broad and open to misuse, as has been demonstrated in the Filton 24 case where prosecutors have sought to escalate ordinary criminal prosecutions of direct-action protesters into terrorism cases.

‘The use of terrorism laws to circumvent due process and impose harsher punishments on direct action protesters is a threat to expression and assembly rights for everyone.’

Moscogiuri urged prosecutors to drop the claim of a ‘terrorism connection’ in these cases and end any excessively lengthy pre-trial detention.

Why have the activists been arrested?

Qesser Zuhrah – trial date April 2026

Qesser was arrested in a dawn raid on November 19, 2024, by counter-terrorism officers in the third wave of Filton arrests, in connection with the August 2024 raid on the Elbit plant.

Amu Gib – trial date January 2027

Amu was arrested for allegedly breaking into RAF Brize Norton, Britain’s largest airforce base, and decommissioning two military planes alongside three others.

Heba Muraisi – trial date June 2026

Heba was arrested on November 19, 2024, in a dawn raid in the third wave of Filton arrests.

Jon Cink – trial date January 2027

Jon was arrested for allegedly breaking into RAF Brize Norton,the UK’s largest airforce base, and decommissioning two military planes alongside three others.

Teuta Hoxha – trial date April 2026

Teuta was also arrested in the dawn raids against Palestine activists on November 19, 2024, in the third wave of Filton arrests on allegations of being connected to the Filton action.

Kamran Ahmed – trial date June 2026

Kamran was arrested in a violent dawn raid by counter-terrorism police on 19th November 2024 during which his elderly parents were also denied food and medication for hours. 

Metro has contacted the Ministry of Justice for a comment.

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