Guardian View on the Palestine Action Hunger Strikers: Government Ignoring Protest
Two Palestine Action-affiliated hunger strikers have reached day 48 without food; Qesser Zuhrah, aged 20, collapsed and Amu Gib, aged 30, has been treated. The hunger strikers are remand prisoners accused of criminal damage, aggravated burglary, and violent disorder at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol (Filton), as well as an alleged break-in at RAF Brize Norton. Some of them have spent more than a year in custody before trial, with some not due to be tried until 2027. Their demands include immediate bail, ending restrictions on communications, and lifting the ban on Palestine Action.
More than 1,600 arrests related to support for Palestine Action have been made since the July ban. Huda Ammori has initiated a legal challenge, and independent reviewers of terrorism laws argue that proscription orders should have time limits. The editorial criticizes the proscription as an illiberal overreaction and contrasts the government's zeal in imposing bans with its inaction over casualties in Gaza.
Ministers state that prisons see around 200 hunger strikes annually and are cautious about setting precedents, but the issue should not be ignored. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle called Home Secretary Lammy's failure to respond to MPs 'totally unacceptable,' while Keir Starmer's response at Prime Minister's Questions was described as perfunctory. The piece urges the government to engage on bail and prison communication issues and to address the deteriorating health of detainees, warning that the situation reflects dangerous complacency.
A vigil for the hunger strikers took place in Cambridge on 14 December 2025.
