We, the undersigned, fully support Prisoners for Palestine in their campaign for justice. They have been imprisoned as a result of collusion between the British state and the Zionist entity. The strike is a direct result of the government’s insistence on breaking international law and actively participating in the genocide in Palestine. When justice is denied by the state, we are obliged to take action; and in the case of the prisoners, after exhausting all legal avenues, they are left with no other choice but to take drastic action.
We demand that the government acts to prevent a collective hunger strike that will endanger these peoples’ health.
Their demands listed below are entirely reasonable and the minimum that a democratic country should fulfill. We stand by the prisoners in their hour of need, and will take any necessary action to ensure that their demands are fulfilled.
The prisoners demands are:
1. End all censorship
We demand that we be able to send and receive communications without restriction, surveillance, or interference from the prison administration. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and it is vital for prisoners, whose voices are already systematically silenced. Censorship inside prisons is a tool of control used to punish resistance to violence. Letters, phone calls, political statements, books and all other forms of expression must be respected.
2. Immediate bail
We demand that we be released from custody while awaiting trial. Holding people on remand, in some cases indefinitely, is a deliberate abuse of power, used to punish prisoners before they have even faced a court or been convicted of any crime. Some of us will have been imprisoned for nearly two years without a conviction, breaking the custody time limit of 182 days. The right to a fair trial must include the right to prepare for it in freedom, not behind bars.
3. Right to a fair trial
We demand the right to a fair trial, which cannot happen until all relevant documents related to our cases are released in full. This includes all meetings between British and Israeli state officials, the British police, the attorney general, Elbit Systems representatives, and any others involved in coordinating the ongoing witch-hunt of actionists and campaigners.
We also demand the release of government records of all Elbit Systems UK exports from the last five years. We have the right to know what arms are being made and exported from the UK, especially when they are used to commit genocide.
4. Deproscribe
We demand the immediate dropping of all terror-related charges and ‘links’, and an end to the use of the Prevent strategy. The government’s use of counter-terror laws to target those engaged in protest and direct action is unjustified and unprecedented, and must be stopped.
In light of this, we demand that the British government deproscribe Palestine Action. Direct action is not terrorism. It is a legitimate tactic deployed when democratic channels fail to reflect the will of the people. When the government breaks the law, citizens have the moral responsibility to act in defence of life, human rights, and collective dignity.
We also demand an apology from Yvette Cooper for spearheading a smear campaign in a cynical attempt to justify her decision to proscribe Palestine Action. Her claim that Palestine Action was a violent organisation “possibly funded by Iran” has no basis in fact.
5. Shut Elbit down
Many of us are imprisoned for allegedly taking action against Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. Since 2012, Elbit has won 25 public contracts in the UK totalling more than £355m. Now, the Ministry of Defence is preparing to sign a £2.7 billion contract with Elbit that would designate it as a “strategic partner” and see the company train 60,000 British troops each year.
We demand that the government does not use taxpayer´s money to fund the machinery of genocide, and scrap this contract. Furthermore, we demand that all Elbit systems’ sites and its subsidiaries in the UK are permanently shut down.
We call on all those with a concience to join us in taking action in solidarity with the prisoners. They have the sympathy and support of the people, both here and around the world.
Sincerely,
Blackburn 4 Palestine
Chorley 4 Palestine
Preston People Collective
Act Up Fight Back
ULM5
Shut Down Leonardo Southampton
Bristol Solidarity Cafe
Healthworkers for a Free Palestine
Muslim Social Justice Initiative
Resistance Kitchen
Connolly Association of New York
Yorkshire Palestine Coalition
Youth Front For Palestine
Healthworkers and Allies 4 Palestine
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Black Lives Matter UK
Defend Our Juries
CAGE International
Books Against Borders
Dalston Solidarity Cafe
London for a Free Palestine
Liberation Links
Sabotage Kapital
No More Exclusions
Solidarity Apothecary
Stop L3harris
Leeds Food Not Bombs
For media and press enquiries, contact us on prisoners4palestine@proton.me