Protesters back pro-Palestine hunger strikers in demo outside MP’s office
Martin Shipton
Protesters staged a demonstration outside a Welsh Labour MP’s office in support of hunger-striking prisoners awaiting trial on charges of damaging an Israeli-owned weapons factory.
The protest took place outside the constituency office of Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones, who is a Justice Minister in Keit Starmer’s UK Government.
A total of 24 pro-Palestine activists are in custody accused of various offences relating to damage caused at the Elbit Systems plant in Filton, Bristol, and at RAF Brize Norton.
The protesters hung banners reading “Support the Hunger Strikers, Don’t Let Them Die” and “UK WEAPONS KILL” outside Ms Jones-Davies’ office.
They also chanted: “Alex, Alex, what do you say? Don’t let the prisoners die today!” and “Justice Minister, you can’t hide! Don’t let the hunger strikers die!”
The four activists currently on hunger strike are Heba Muraisi, 31, who began her protest more than 62 days ago and is reported to be extremely weak and struggling to speak, with her trial set for June 2026; Teuta Hoxha, 29, who has been on hunger strike for more than 56 days and has reported heart palpitations and fatigue, with her trial date pending confirmation; Kamran Ahmed, 28, who has been on hunger strike for more than 52 days, has been hospitalised multiple times and whose trial is not due to take place until January 2027; and Lewie Chiaramello, who has been on hunger strike for over 30 alternate days due to type 1 diabetes, and whose trial is also not due to occur until January 2027.
Campaigners, their families and legal representatives have raised serious concerns about the daily life for the hunger strikers in custody, alleging conditions they say go beyond administrative detention:
* Medical neglect, including delayed responses to medical emergencies and repeated hospitalisations without sustained follow-up care;
* Isolation and frequent transfers, deliberately moving prisoners far from family and legal support networks;
* Censorship of communications, including restrictions on letters, phone calls, and access to legal correspondence;
* Loss of basic privileges, including access to books, newspapers, prison jobs, education, and association with other prisoners;
* Reduced visitation rights, placing further strain on families and support networks.
Organ damage
A spokesperson for the campaigners said: “Medical experts warn that prolonged starvation can lead to irreversible organ damage or death, and that prison healthcare systems are ill-equipped to manage long-term hunger strikes without meaningful intervention.
“Despite the gravity of the situation, the UK Government has refused to meet the hunger strikers or their legal representatives.”
An Early Day Motion (EDM) was tabled in Parliament on December 1 2025, calling on the Secretary of State for Justice to intervene urgently to protect the treatment and human rights of the hunger strikers. However, the motion has since only been supported by about 62 out of 650
MPs as of January 3. Only five of Wales’ 32 MPs have signed the EDM – Plaid Cymru’s four MPs and Steve Witherden, the Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr.
The campaigners’ spokesperson said: “As both MP for Pontypridd and Minister for Victims, Alex Davies-Jones has spoken publicly about human rights, justice, and the rule of law. However, protesters argue that these principles ring hollow when pro-Palestinian activists are held for years without trial, are denied bail, and are left to starve in prison cells.
“We call on Alex Davies Jones MP and the UK Government to heed the core demands of the strikers:
* Immediate bail for those held on remand;
* A fair trial with full disclosure of relevant documents;
* An end to censorship of their communications in prison;
* “De-proscribing” Palestine Action; and
* Shutting down Elbit Systems, the UK’s largest arms manufacturer supplying Israel.”
Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Lord Timpson said: “While very concerning, hunger strikes are not a new issue for our prisons. Over the last five years, we’ve averaged over 200 a year and we have longstanding procedures in place to ensure prisoner safety.
“Prison healthcare teams provide NHS care and continuously monitor the situation. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is clear that claims that hospital care is being refused are entirely misleading – they will always be taken when needed and a number of these prisoners have already been treated in hospital.
“These prisoners are charged with serious offences including aggravated burglary and criminal damage. Remand decisions are for independent judges, and lawyers can make representations to the court on behalf of their clients.
“Ministers will not meet with them – we have a justice system that is based on the separation of powers, and the independent judiciary is the cornerstone of our system. It would be entirely unconstitutional and inappropriate for ministers to intervene in ongoing legal cases.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Likely if they don’t stop now they will die. Hamas won’t notice.
The plight of the people of Gaza is not about Hamas.
Most likely if they die, the evil zionist government won’t notice. Who permitted the funding of hamas despite their mission statement clearly the eradication of zion? Netanyahu.
24. Just 24?
Many of us support the government’s actions on this: report that please
So you support the government taking part in and aid the wholesale slaughtet of civilians?
Wow. That shows what sort of person you really are.
Some people just don’t care about the murder of 20,000 innocent semitic Palestinian children.
10 minutes later she called the cops to complain about ‘terrorist activity’
The government is complicit in the genocide in Ghazza so they are taking the incorrect step of proscribing this group and for the wrong reasons. They need to free the prisoners and reverse the proscription.
The UK gov. complicit in genocide? They have recognised Palestine as a state.
They supply arms to the zionist government.
They used a UK spy plane to help the isreali army bomb gaza.
And Netanyahu is subject to an ICC arrest warrant if he steps onto British soil. I sense this more about domestic left-wing politics than about the terrible plight of the Palestinian people.
And still we sell weapons to Israel and allow Israeli weapons manufacturers to operate here. But yeah, these people are playing politics with their lives, sure
They might be better off protesting outside the American Embassy, the US is after all the paymaster of Israel.
This is about the proscription of PA. This group shouldn’t have been proscribed.
That could be the case, it gave them much more visibilty than they really deserve. The story now is about PA, not what is happening in Gaza today, not to mention the West Bank.
If that is the case then remove the proscription of PA. Why persist? Most likely, it is because the UK Government does not want to move too fast on establishing a new Palestinian state. Or maybe not at all.
Because their suporters were blurring the line between supporting Palestine with anti-Jewish slogans and sentiments. The Jewish diaspora in Britain were rightly feeling threatened. The target should be the criminal Israeli government.
Which specific anti Jewish slogan at their marches have you heard? Did they say, “Hitler was right” and make hissing noises to mimic the horrendous gas chambers in Auschwitz? Do you see where I am going with this?
Yes I do. It’s where the far left meet the far right round the back of the bike sheds.
Has Farage condemned his past behaviour? Has he apologised for it and hurting those fellow schoolmates? If he hasn’t done either, isn’t he condoning such behaviour, such actions and such speech?
UK proscription is the protest. UK hosting Elbit Systems Israel’s largest Arms manufacturers is a major part of this. They send drones and weapons from here to be used against Palestinians. UK also buys their weapons tested on Palestinians to support the Israeli arms industry. UK provides surveillance flights via it’s colonial era base is Cyprus on behalf of theIsraeli Apartheid state. The list is much longer of course
‘Palestine Action’. Who are they, who funds them? Already infiltrated no doubt by the security services, I guess the government already knows the answer to that.
It diverts attention from the real daily trauma experienced by the Palestinian people, as if most of us don’t care about their situation? What is most important right now, is to get food, medicines and warm shelter to those who are suffering from a brutal Israeli government.
We know who funded them from the leaked UK intelligence report small donations, people buying t-shirts and the point of their actions was to disrupt and to bring to public attention UK based manufacturing of the weapons and weapon components sent to Israel that enable this to go on
What is important right now is for the semitic Palestinians to have their own country and be safe there. This isn’t happening because of the evil zionist government wanting all Palestinian land for their own state.
I heartily agree. I just dislike the bandwagon for failed politicians to hitch their ride on. George Galloway, Jeremy Corbyn et al. As a leftist, I find that unhelpful at best.
They are not mentioned in this news article. PC’s has 4 MPs mentioned as signing the letter.
Well done to those involved. Protesting UK involvement in this ongoing genocide and generational ethnic cleansing and slaughter of the Palestinian people is the minimum we must all do. Those who support our governments complicity are either totally uniformed or vile and morally bankrupt creatures
Stroll on.
Well said.