Four Palestine Action Members Continue Hunger Strike in UK Prisons as Legal Battle Over Proscription Intensifies

Four members of Palestine Action remain on hunger strike across UK prisons, continuing a high‑profile protest against their detention and the government's decision to proscribe the group. Other members have ended their strikes, several after hospitalisation, but the four still refusing food say they will continue until key demands are met.

Background

Palestine Action, founded in July 2020, says it aims to end what it calls global participation in "Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime." On 2 July 2025 the UK Parliament voted to proscribe the organisation as a terrorist group, placing it in the same legal category as groups such as al‑Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Critics argue the group’s actions involved property damage and civil disobedience rather than violence that meets the legal threshold for terrorism. The proscription has been challenged in court and led to more than 1,600 arrests in the three months after the ban was enacted.

Who Is On Hunger Strike—and Why

The four prisoners continuing their strikes are Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, Teuta Hoxha and Lewie Chiaramello, aged between 20 and 31. They have set five demands: immediate bail; the right to a fair trial, including disclosure of documents they say would show an "ongoing witch‑hunt" of activists; an end to censorship of their communications; de‑proscription of Palestine Action; and the closure of Elbit Systems’ UK factories.

“The UK government has forced their bodies to a breaking point,” pro‑Palestine activist Audrey Corno told Al Jazeera Mubasher. “A promise to the government is that the prisoners’ resistance and the people’s resistance … will not stop until it ends.”

Heba Muraisi

Location: HMP New Hall, Wakefield. Age: 31. Status: On hunger strike (reported day 60 as of late December 2025).

Muraisi was arrested in November 2024 over an alleged role in an August 2024 raid on Elbit Systems’ UK site in Filton (Bristol), an incident the company says cost it more than $1.34m. She was transferred from HMP Bronzefield to HMP New Hall in October 2025, which her supporters say places her far from her London‑based support network. Her supporters claim she has experienced medical neglect in custody and are calling for her return to Bronzefield ahead of a trial scheduled for June 2026.

Kamran Ahmed

Location: HMP Pentonville, north London. Age: 28. Status: On hunger strike (more than 50 days as of late December 2025); multiple hospitalisations.

Arrested in November 2024 in connection with the alleged Elbit Systems raid, Ahmed — described in reporting as a mechanic — has been repeatedly hospitalised after refusing food. Supporters say his weight fell from about 74kg to around 60kg and that he was hospitalised several times in December.

Teuta Hoxha

Location: HMP Peterborough. Age: 29. Status: On hunger strike (reported day 54 as of late December 2025).

Also arrested in November 2024 over the alleged Filton raid, Hoxha was reportedly moved from HMP Bronzefield on the day MPs voted to proscribe Palestine Action. Supporters report she has experienced heart palpitations, prolonged sleeplessness and memory problems while refusing food.

Lewie Chiaramello

Location: HMP Bristol. Age: 22. Status: Fasting on alternate days due to Type 1 diabetes (reported day 28 of strike as of late December 2025).

Chiaramello has been held since July 2025 in connection with an incident at RAF Brize Norton, where activists sprayed two military aircraft with red paint; damage has been estimated at about $9.4m. He faces charges including conspiracy to enter a restricted area and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, with a trial listed for 18 January 2027. Supporters say he has had to manage insulin without consistent medical supervision while refusing food.

Others and Wider Context

Four other Palestine Action detainees ended their hunger strikes after varying periods, several following hospital treatment. Those included Qesser Zuhrah and Amu/Amy Gib, who began strikes on 2 November to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. Prisoners For Palestine reports that Umar Khalid, who has muscular dystrophy, stopped his strike after 13 days; Jon Cink ended his after 41 days when hospitalised.

The detainees are being held on remand and deny charges that include burglary, violent disorder and other offences tied to the Filton and RAF incidents. Their supporters and legal teams say extended periods on remand, the use of counter‑terror powers and the distance of transfers from families are undermining defendants' rights to a fair process.

Legal and Political Stakes

The proscription of Palestine Action has become a focal point in debates over civil liberties, counter‑terror law and protest in the UK. Supporters contend the label is disproportionate and criminalises political protest; government critics and some MPs argue the group's tactics crossed legal lines. The proscription is being challenged in court, and the outcomes of pending trials will shape the political and legal interpretation of protest tactics linked to Palestine Action.

Note: All references to alleged actions and charges are stated as reported by authorities and media; those detained deny the allegations. Timings (days on hunger strike, hospitalisations and transfers) are reported by supporters and media sources as of late December 2025.