Back in 1981, IRA and other republican prisoners in Northern Ireland staged a hunger strike demanding their political status be restored. Ten of them died; notably, their leader Bobby Sands was actually elected as an MP before he passed away. Margaret Thatcher publicly took a tough stance. But behind closed doors, the government started searching for a way out as public opinion shifted quite a bit.
Now, the remand prisoners linked to Palestine Action who are on hunger strike face serious health risks. On Friday, two had been without food for 48 days. (By comparison, Martin Hurson, a 29-year-old IRA prisoner in 1981, died after 46 days.) Twenty-year-old Qesser Zuhrah is currently in hospital after reportedly collapsing at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. Amu Gib, aged 30, has also received medical treatment. Three others have refused food for over 40 days while another prisoner with diabetes is only eating every other day. Two have ended their strikes recently; one did so following hospitalization.
These prisoners are held on remand for alleged crimes including criminal damage, aggravated burglary and violent disorder at an Elbit Systems factory-a maker of Israeli arms-in Filton near Bristol; others relate to an alleged break-in at RAF Brize Norton. Many of them will spend over a year in jail before trial-well beyond the usual six-month limit-and some might not face trial until 2027. Their demands include immediate bail, lifting restrictions on their communication rights and stopping the ban on Palestine Action.
The government should reconsider banning Palestine Action-not just because of this hunger strike but because it’s been an overly harsh response all along, as we’ve said before here. It’s striking how harsh the government has been with this group compared to its lack of action or concern over tens of thousands dying in Gaza’s devastating conflict. Since the ban came into effect in July, over 1,600 arrests related to support for Palestine Action have been made. The group’s co-founder Huda Ammori is challenging this legally too. Independent reviewers have suggested that bans like these should have time limits anyway. The government doesn’t need to wait for court rulings-it could change course now if it wanted.
What needs addressing urgently is how remand works here. Our justice system is failing with long delays and terrible prison conditions becoming common place. No one should wait this long for their trial unless they pose a serious ongoing threat to public safety-that’s just not right otherwise. Lawyers have pointed out that tagging defendants while they wait could be an option.
Officials say prisons deal with about 200 hunger strikes yearly and know what they’re doing when handling them. The government understandably wants to avoid setting tricky precedents here but ignoring this won’t make it go away either. Last week Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the Commons, called David Lammy-deputy prime minister and justice secretary-ignoring MPs’ requests about these hunger strikers “totally unacceptable.” When asked during PMQs about these prisoners Sir Keir Starmer gave only a brief answer. The government needs to engage seriously with this issue now: think through bail options and how prison communications work instead of acting indifferent while these people’s health quickly gets worse.
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