These Palestine Action Activists In The UK Are On A Hunger Strike To Protest Being Jailed For A Year Without Trial
The activists detained have now spent more than 12 months in custody awaiting trial, far beyond the UK’s six-month pre-trial detention limit.
Eight Palestine Action activists have been on a hunger strike for more than 40 days after being detained and held in the UK’s prisons for over a year without trial.
Palestine Action is a pro-Palestine group founded in 2020 that uses non-violent direct action to disrupt the arms industry in the UK, which supplies the Israeli army with weapons used in its genocide in Gaza.
The detained activists are part of Palestine Action’s “Filton 24” and “Brize Norton 5” groups that broke into Elbit Systems’ Filton facility in August 2024 and Royal Air Force base Brize Norton in June 2025 respectively.
The Filton 24 had broken into Elbit Systems’ facility and is accused of trespassing and violent disorder and causing over US$1 million in damage.
Six activists were arrested at the time, and the rest of the 24 activists were later arrested in different police raids.
On June 20, another group of Palestine Action’s activists broke into RAF Brize Norton, a Royal Air Force base, and spray painted the engines of two military planes and were arrested.
The UK government then banned Palestine Action on July 5 as a terrorist organization, making it illegal for people in the UK to be a member of or support Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act of 2000.
People found guilty of supporting Palestine Action will face penalties of up to 14 years in prison, similar to showing support for groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The activists detained have now spent more than 12 months in custody awaiting trial, far beyond the UK’s six-month pre-trial detention limit.
On Nov. 2, eight of the detainees were still in prison and began a hunger strike in protest against what they say is “systematic abuse” in the prisons, including wardens referring to them as “terrorists”, confiscating their clothing and restricting their visits and letters.
They are Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Kamran Ahmed, Teuta Hoxha, Qesser Zuhrah, Lewie Chiaramello and Umer Khalid.
Their demands include immediate bail, a trial date, access to adequate medical care, access to books and their own mail and the shutdown of Elbit Systems.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
