Pro-Palestine Activists Vandalise UK Labour Offices in Solidarity With Hunger-Striking Detainees

Pro-Palestine demonstrators sprayed red paint and smashed windows at the Labour Party's London offices in a protest they said was intended to show solidarity with eight detainees staging a hunger strike in English prisons.

What Happened

The group calling itself Justice for the Hunger Strikers said members targeted the governing party to highlight what it described as the government's refusal to engage with prisoners who have refused food. The action took place while four detainees continue their strike in custody awaiting trial; four others have paused but say they plan to resume in the new year.

Who Is On Hunger Strike

All eight detainees are members of Palestine Action and face charges linked to break-ins at the UK subsidiary of Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems in Bristol and at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. The detainees deny charges including burglary and violent disorder.

Those still refusing food include:

• Heba Muraisi — Day 57, held in a prison in West Yorkshire.
• Teuta Hoxha — Day 51.
• Kamran Ahmed — Day 50.
• Lewie Chiaramello — Day 36.

Hoxha and Ahmed have previously required hospital treatment during their strikes.

Demands And Concerns

The detainees' stated demands include release on bail, an end to alleged interference with mail and reading materials, access to a fair trial and the de-proscription of Palestine Action. Additional requests this week call for Muraisi to be transferred back to HMP Bronzefield to be nearer her family, lifting of non-association orders between prisoners, and access to prison activities and courses.

Medical And International Response

Campaigners and medical professionals have raised alarm about the health risks. More than 800 doctors signed a letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy warning the hunger strikers face grave risks, including organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, cardiac arrhythmias and death.

On Friday, a group of United Nations experts — including the UN special rapporteurs on the rights to peaceful assembly and on the occupied Palestinian territory — issued a statement urging heightened duty of care for hunger strikers. They said:

"Hunger strike is often a measure of last resort by people who believe that their rights to protest and effective remedy have been exhausted. The state's duty of care toward hunger strikers is heightened, not diminished."

Legal And Government Response

Lawyers for the detainees say they have launched legal proceedings against the government, alleging it has effectively abandoned its own prison safety policy after repeated letters to justice officials went unanswered. The cases are expected to take many months: campaign groups say pretrial detention could extend beyond a year, and court dates have been forecast between April and January 2027.

James Timpson, the UK Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, said the government would not engage directly with hunger strikers or their representatives, describing the prison service as experienced in dealing with hunger strikes and emphasising separation of powers.

Context

Supporters describe the action as the largest hunger strike in Britain since the 1981 Irish hunger strikes and say it has sparked hundreds of solidarity protests across the country. The deliberate targeting of the Labour Party offices reflects campaigners' frustration with what they call a lack of political engagement on the detainees' treatment and demands.

Note: All details in this article are based on statements from campaigners, medical signatories, UN experts and government responses available at the time of publication.