Category: Uncategorized

MANAR DAUGHTER OF PALESTINE:
A message of love from the ground

I am Manar. I am a 27 years old mother of two beautiful daughters, as well as a wife, daughter, sister, friend, and neighbour. Since my birth here, I have never left Gaza.

I send my heartfelt words to the free prisoners who were imprisoned for defending justice and standing with our Palestinian people. Praise be to God who has placed in this world hearts that still beat with justice and mercy, and who has placed in the darkness of these times people who resemble light…you.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you from wounded Gaza, from a land that continues to bleed but refuses to die, from my broken heart that loves and appreciates you more than you can imagine. I write to you from a heart heavy with sorrow, yet overflowing with gratitude for you and your existence.

You who have chosen hunger willingly, in solidarity with a people forcibly starved for two years under siege, bombardment, and genocide. Your hunger strike is not just a protest; it is a cry for freedom that extends from your prison cells to every home in Gaza, telling the world: there is still conscience.

And thank God for granting me the opportunity to write to the greatest and most loving and humane people of our time. You are free in your hearts and in all your actions. Follow goodness no matter the cost. I carry you in my heart, and I ask God Almighty to grant you freedom, happiness, contentment, love, success, progress, and the fulfillment of your goals in this world, and to grant you victory in this life and the hereafter. My heart is with you. I pray that God will always guide you to the right path….

I am Manar Suleiman Amra from Gaza, a mother of two daughters, a wife, a son, a sister, and a friend. Before the war, I worked as a medical laboratory technician, but the war took my job, my family home, everything I loved, my peace of mind, and my brother, who disappeared two months after the war. He went out to look for work and never returned. We don’t know where his grave is to bury him.

He was suddenly snatched from us without a goodbye. For two years, I have lived with the bitterness of loss and longing. I experienced hunger and homelessness, and we lost all our dignity, which is the right of every human being.

When a mother sees her children or husband killed before her eyes, or a child sees his parents tortured and killed before him, when we go hungry for days and months and find nothing to eat but animal food, when we leave our comfortable and warm homes and go out into nothingness, into the unknown, we go out to build a tent in a place we don’t know, in a place with no water, no electricity, and no market, when young men are taken to prison and tortured, some of them dying under torture, and some of them returning disabled or disfigured and with altered features, where are human rights? What remains of our human rights? We have been completely and utterly stripped of our humanity…

The injustice we endured happened in full view of the world, and this is what breaks my heart and saddens me most.

Although our suffering began with the Nakba in 1948, meaning for 77 years every Palestinian has been enduring it, I lived as a refugee in Gaza. My entire life was spent in a large, besieged prison in Gaza, never leaving. I never rode a train, a plane, or a ship. I never saw the beauty of the world or God’s creation. I lived through five wars before this genocide, but these last two years were the most horrific in all of history. Sadly, most world leaders ignored us.

I am a Muslim, and I believe in God deeply, even more than myself. Islam is what saved me from this terrible nightmare. I pray to God with trust and certainty, knowing that He will not forsake me and that everything I am experiencing is part of God’s plan for me and the entire world. We may perceive it as evil and bad with our limited minds, but how many things in our lives have we thought were good, only to discover later that what we desired was bad for us? And the opposite is also true; we see some things as bad and grieve. It happened, but with time, I realize it was for the best. Faith in God has brought peace to my heart, mind, and soul. I prayed fervently that God would send me someone to stand by me and support me because I was so tired. You were a gift from God, and you eased my burden so much. God blessed me with wonderful friends whom I love dearly. They have pure, kind hearts and wish good for all humanity.

Among them are my sister Ayla and my closest friend. She speaks with me daily and cares about every detail concerning me and my family. She is like a mother, a sister, and a close friend to me. She gives me hope and comforts me, provides me with goals and ideas to invest my time and abilities, and helps me succeed in achieving my goals. She encouraged me to draw and write, and I began to breathe and find comfort and inner peace in my faith, reading the Quran, praying to God, and adding drawing and writing to my life. Everything has changed in the last two years: our lives, our goals, our thinking, and even the way we see the world. But despite the pain, the experience taught me that pain can be transformed into great strength. I found myself breathing again through drawing, design, and writing.

When I picked up the pen and colors, I felt I was reclaiming a part of myself that had been stolen. I began to paint Palestine in its colors and design clothes bearing its flag, as if I were stitching the memory of a homeland into every piece of fabric.

I found in writing a refuge that protected me from collapse. Words became a path through which I could breathe, and I wrote to say: “We are still here, we still dream, and we still deserve to live. It’s as if it’s my window to life, my way to tell the world our story so that it won’t be forgotten.

Through these arts, I mend my heart and regain my faith in God and in the goodness within people like yourselves, my beloved ones.

What gives me the most strength now is knowing that you have chosen imprisonment and hunger to tell the world, “Enough silence!” Because with your hunger, you are breaking down the walls of silence, and with your pain, you are writing the highest meaning of dignity. Knowing that you exist, in the far west, willingly suffering in solidarity with us, makes me feel that I am not alone, and that humanity is not yet dead.

Every step you take, every word, every day of your strike resonates in Gaza, in our weary hearts that cling to hope. You give my heart strength; you teach me that freedom is not given, but seized with determination and faith.

You are not prisoners in our eyes; you are symbols of dignity and the living conscience of this world. And though you are in prison cells today, you are free in our hearts. Indeed, you are the ones who liberate our souls from despair. I know that your bodies are weakening from hunger, but your spirits are stronger than the prison walls. I dream of continuing my journey in art and writing, of holding exhibitions showcasing my work born from the rubble, of publishing my book that compiles our testimonies as survivors of the genocide, so that it may serve as a humanitarian document carrying our voices to the world.

I dream of one day leaving Gaza to complete my studies, so that I may be able to defend my people with awareness, knowledge, and a truthful voice.

I dream of being an echo of your voices and the voices of all of us who believe that freedom has no homeland, but begins in the heart. And here is my sister Elena, with her wonderful team of amazing friends, who are like family to me, giving their time, effort, and money to help me achieve my goals…

How much I love and appreciate them! All my words fail to express my gratitude and love for them.

On the day your hunger strike began, we were reminded of the Balfour Declaration, the promise that sowed injustice in our land more than a century ago. But on that same day, you sowed another promise: the promise of freedom, the promise of conscience, the promise that justice cannot be suppressed or endure, no matter how long the darkness lasts.

From Gaza, from a heart worn down by the siege but still believing in goodness, I say to you: You are with us, and we are with you.

Your hunger is voluntary, but it has filled our souls with hope.

And your silence in the prison cells speaks louder than the speeches of the world’s leaders.

I ask God to protect you, strengthen your hearts, and restore your freedom to you soon.

Know that in Gaza, there are those who pray for you every day, with tears, gratitude, and pride. I carry you in the depths of my heart until the day we meet again, free on a free and just land, where no one who speaks the truth is imprisoned.

From your sister in humanity and struggle,

Manar Suleiman Amra
Gaza – Palestine

A message of solidarity from political prisoner/defendant Jakhi McCray who’s on house arrest and will be doing a solidarity fast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQkx6a4Eu8H

“Today, November 2nd, Prisoners for Palestine will begin an open-ended hunger strike to protest months of abuse and repression endured by the UK government. These comrades have been physically isolated even within their prisons, banned from communicating with family and friends, assaulted, denied a fair trial, and harassed over their religion. Prison guards have forcibly removed hijabs from Muslim women prisoners, similar to the NYPD’s targeting of and physical violence against Muslim women during protests.

I wish these prisoners the warmest of luck and strength as they fight for their demands. To hopefully bring attention and show solidarity to their action, in a few days i will begin a fast in which I won’t eat anything until the UK prisoners end their strike. I have the great benefit of being on home detention and this will not be as intense as starving yourself within the State’s dungeons, but I see this solidarity fast as a great way to put more eyes on Prisoners for Palestine and more pressure on the UK government.

I also ask that all fundraisers organized for me during this period have proceeds sent to Shine White, a prisoner and citizen of New Afrika, who himself has been on hunger strike for weeks now to protest targeted repression and violence that he is facing in the true belly of the beast. I send my love to Shine and the UK prisoners. We will all be free one day.”

At breakfast time today, in Pentonville prison, London, 27-year old Kamran Ahmed became the 6th prisoner to join the national Prisoners for Palestine hunger-strike.

The hunger-protest began on the 2nd of November, with prisoners Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gibb refusing food at Bronzefield prison in Kent. They were soon joined by Heba Muraisi, in New Hall prison, Jon Cink in Bronzefield, T Hoxha, at Peterborough prison, and now by Kamran Ahmed.

The rolling hunger-strike has been called by the prisoners to protest their continued incarceration without trial, and in support of a list of demands, which include the right to a fair trial, release on bail, and the deproscription of Palestine Action.

Kamran was arrested on the 19th of November 2024, in a dramatic dawn raid by counter-terrorism police. His elderly parents were mistreated, and he was detained under the special powers of the Terrorism Act. Despite not being charged with any terrorist offences, he was refused bail, and has been in prison ever since, with a trial date of June 2026. Like the other members of the Filton 24, who have been similarly treated, Kamran is accused of being involved in a Palestine Action raid on the Filton, Bristol site of Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons maker, and the largest supplier of the killer drones used in the Genocide in Gaza. Along with the other demands, the hunger-strikers are calling for the permanent closure of Elbit’s British factories.

Prior to joining the hunger-strike, Kamran Ahmed said: “On the 10th of November, I plan to commence my hunger-strike, insh’Allah, in line with the stated demands, but also in solidarity with those who are having a harder time on remand than me. I hope the government review their decision to commence our unfair trial, and allow us to explain, before the jury, our reasons, because I honestly believe no reasonable person will convict us.”

Two weeks before the hunger-strike began, Prisoners for Palestine wrote to the British Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, with a full list of the prisoners’ demands. Despite the growing number of prisoners joining the protest, there has still been no official response from the British government. The responses at some of the prisons holding the hunger-strikers have been petty and vindictive, with movements restricted, threats made to other prisoners, and a callous disregard for the health of the hunger-strikers. Prisoners For Palestine are planning protests outside several prisons this coming weekend.

A spokesperson for the group, Francesca Nadin, said: “There are more and more prisoners now joining the collective hunger-strike, demanding justice, and to shut Elbit down. Elbit, the very same death mongers that have them locked-up through their nefarious relationship with the British state. The prisoners sacrifice is noble, and is met with the full support of the people. In just a few days, we have seen mobilisations and solidarity actions around the world, and pressure on the British state will only increase until they are forced to concede to our entirely reasonable demands.”

For media and press enquiries, contact us on prisoners4palestine@proton.me

At breakfast time today, 29-year old Teuta Hoxha, known to her friends as ‘T’, became the fifth prisoner to join the Prisoners for Palestine rolling hunger-strike. 

The protest began on the 2nd of November, when prisoners Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gibb refused food at Bronzefield prison, to protest their continued imprisonment without trial, and in support of a short list of demands, including the right to a fair trial, an end to interference with their mail, and the deproscription of Palestine Action. The rolling hunger-strike was soon joined by Heba Muraisi, in New Hall prison, and Jon Cink in Bronzefield. T Hoxha, at Peterborough prison, is the fifth prisoner to join the open-ended hunger-strike. 

T was arrested in a dramatic dawn raid, by counter-terrorism police, on November 19th 2024, accused of being involved in the Palestine Action raid on Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems‘ site, at Filton, Bristol. Like the other members of the Filton 24, she was held and interrogated under the Terrorism Act, but not charged with any terrorist offence. She has been in prison, for nearly a year now, and is not expected to go to trial until April of next year.

Originally held at Bronzefield prison, T was subject to a sudden transfer to HMP Peterborough on the day that MPs voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a supposed ‘terrorist’ group, putting the group in the same bracket as ISIS and Al-Quaeda.

Following proscription, like the other pro-Palestine prisoners, T saw a dramatic escalation in her mistreatment, which eventually forced her to go on a hunger protest in August, being joined by 2 political prisoners in America, before winning her demands after more than 3 weeks without food.

The first of the hunger-striking Prisoners for Palestine have now gone a week without food, but despite the government being informed of the impending protest 2 weeks before it began, there has still been no response whatsoever.

Commenting on Teuta Hoxha joining the hunger-strike, Prisoners for Palestine spokesperson Audrey Corno, who was imprisoned without trial, alongside her, before being granted bail, said: “I am astounded by T’s resilience in joining her comrades in this hunger-strike, having just completed one 2 months ago. In our last visit, she told me, “Don’t worry about me. I’ve read about Guantanamo, and I am embarrassed – I will do this hunger-strike in comparative comfort. Whatever happens to me cannot compare to the scenes in Palestine. Therefore I will persevere.” This is the strength the British State is up against.”

For media and press enquiries, contact us on prisoners4palestine@proton.me

Since the Prisoners for Palestine rolling hunger-strike began on Sunday the 2nd of November, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, 4 prisoners are now on hunger-strike, including 3 at Bronzefield prison.

Today, Thursday 6th November, Jon Cink became the fourth pro-Palestine prisoner this week to refuse food, and join the open-ended hunger-strike. The prisoners have issued a list of demands, which include bail, the right to a fair trial, an end to mail censorship, and the deproscription of Palestine Action.

Jon was remanded to Bronzefield prison on the 3rd July 2025, after being arrested and interrogated by counter-terrorism police, in relation to the Palestine Action raid on RAF Brize Norton in June, where 2 leased transport aircraft were sprayed with red paint. While it has since been shown that government plans were already afoot to proscribe Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist’ group, at the time, then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that the Brize Norton action was the catalyst for the ban.

Since Palestine Action were banned in July, more than 2000 people have been arrested in protests organised by Defend Our Juries, with further mass protests being organised around the country between the 18th and 29th November. A judicial review against proscription will be heard between the 25th and 27th November.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Proscription has also led to a further deterioration in the treatment of the pro-Palestine prisoners being held without trial. Jon has been subject to isolation, censorship, and arbitrary restrictions on visits and phone calls. He has even been forced to have some visits through a Perspex screen. Prison staff have also become increasingly hostile and aggressive towards him. In a message from Bronzefield, Jon said: “We know first hand that repression DOESmake the ground in which Resistance grows more fertile. But we also know that to resist is to act. And action is always a choice, not a consequence that we can merely anticipate…Everyday [is] a new opportunity for defiance!”

On joining the Prisoners for Palestine hunger-strike Jon stated: “We have a duty to resist wherever we are, weaponising everything at our disposal. The sacrifices I pay, for allegedly disrupting the genocidal system, are incomparable to the sacrifices paid by Palestinians and all people directly exposed to Imperial violence.” 

Despite the growing number of prisoners joining the open-ended hunger-strike, there has still been no response from the government. Two weeks before the hunger-strike started, Prisoners for Palestine delivered a letter to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, which she appears to have ignored. 

A spokesperson for Prisoners for Palestine, Francesca Nadin, said, “As the days pass, and more prisoners are forced to go on hunger strike, how much longer can we tolerate this? This supposed democracy rejects the notion of justice at every turn. We call on the public to support the prisoners in their hour of need.”

For media and press enquiries, contact us on prisoners4palestine@proton.me

On Sunday 2^nd November, Balfour Day, 20-year old Qesser Zuhrah and 30-year old Amu Gibb launched the Prisoners for Palestine rolling hunger strike by refusing food at Bronzefield prison. They have now been joined by Heba Muraisi, who is being held on remand at New Hall prison.

Heba, originally from Yemen, with family in Gaza, refused food, at breakfast time today, Monday 3^rd November, becoming the third prisoner to join the national Prisoners for Palestine open-ended hunger-strike, alongside Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gibb. 

Heba Muraisi has been imprisoned without trial since being remanded into custody on 19^th November 2024. She became one of the Filton 24, after being violently arrested in a dramatic dawn raid, by counter-terrorism police, in what was the third wave of arrests in relation to a Palestine Action raid on Israeli arms maker, Elbit Systems‘ Research  and Development Hub at Filton, Bristol, in August 2024. 

Like all the pro-Palestine prisoners, Heba has been targeted by the prison authorities. Her privacy has been violated, her access to books and visits restricted,  she has been subjected to segregation, and her kuffiyeh, which she wears as hijab during prayers, was forcibly removed by Yasmin Cooper, the Head of Security at Bronzefield prison, where Heba was first detained. In October 2025, in a flagrant punishment move known as ‘ghosting’, Heba was forcibly transferred from HMP Bronzefield to HMP New Hall, hundreds of miles away from her family and support system. 

The prisoners are striking in support of a list of demands, including release on bail, an end to prison censorship, and the right to a fair trial.

On the afternoon before their hunger-strike began, while being locked-up for the night, around 5.15pm, both Qesser and Amu informed the prison guards that they would be refusing food in the morning. On Qesser’s landing, the other prisoners gathered, as she made the announcement. The reaction from the guards was to press the alarm-bell, which brought other warders running to the scene, and Qesser was forced into her cell, to the cries and protests of other prisoners, expressing support for her. The guards then said she’d be placed on ‘report‘ for a breach of prison ‘discipline’.

Despite a letter, sent to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, on 20th October, there has still been no response to the hunger-strike from the government.

Francesca Nadin, spokesperson for Prisoners for Palestine said: “We would like to ask Kier Starmer, how do you justify labelling Amu Gib a terrorist for allegedly taking the same action that you defended your own clients for in the past? And to Shabana Mahmood, how does it feel to be a traitor to the cause that you professed your love for? Your spineless hypocrisy is no match for the determination of our prisoners. They will stand strong until their demands are met, and the people will stand alongside them all the way.”

Prisoners for Palestine are calling for a ‘Phone Blockade’ of Bronzefield prison tomorrow, in support of the hunger-strikers.

For media and press enquiries, contact us at prisoners4palestine@proton.me

At breakfast time today, in Bronzefield prison, the first two of the Prisoners for Palestine hunger-strikers, Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib refused food. This marks the start of the first rolling hunger-strike, involving a committed group of prisoners, in a British prison, for decades.

The 2^nd of November is Balfour Day, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, when with the stroke of a pen, Sir Arthur Balfour set in motion the catastrophe that would befall the Palestinian people.

Prisoners for Palestine, who advocate for the prisoners and their supporters, notified the Home Secretary of the impending hunger-strike 2 weeks ago, on the 20^th October. There has been no response from the government since then. In view of the intransigence of the British State, Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib have volunteered to be the first of the prisoners to launch the rolling hunger strike.

Twenty year old Qesser, was remanded in custody on the 19th November 2024. She is accused, along with 23 others, including her younger brother Salaam, of being involved in the Palestine Action raid on Elbit Systems’ Research and Development hub at Filton, Bristol, on the 6th August 2024. Qesser is not expected to go to trial until April 2026.

Thirty year old Amu Gib was remanded in custody on 3rd July 2025. Gib is accused, along with four others, of allegedly breaking into the RAF Brize Norton site, Britains largest airforce base, and decommissioning three military aircrafts. The action allegedly caused £7 million worth of damage. 

Qesser, who entered HMP Bronzefield at the age of 19, has reported mistreatment throughout her time there, including arbitrary restrictions on her books, letters, and visits. She has been assaulted by guards, her kuffiyeh has been taken from her, and in fact all her kuffiyeh-pattern hijabs have been confiscated. Since the proscription of Palestine Action, she reports that her treatment, and the treatment of the other pro-Palestine prisoners at Bronzefield, has got worse, with guards regularly referring to them as ‘terrorists’, and implementing further restrictions. 

Amu also reports mistreatment including having visits and phone calls restricted, regular solitary confinement and removal from a crafting job, due to embroidering ‘free palestine’ on a cushion. 

The prisoners, of which are the first, are launching the hunger-strike to protest their continued imprisonment without trial, their mistreatment while in prison, and in support of a short list of demands, including the right to a fair trial, and the dropping of all terror-related charges. The protest commences just 2 weeks before the start of the first Filton 24 trial, on the 17th November.

In a statement from Bronzefield prison, declaring the start of the hunger-strike, Qesser said: “For 15 months, we who are imprisoned for Palestine have tested this “justice system”, and for 15 months we have watched Elbit Systems, the Zionist entity and our Government abuse justice and prolong our imprisonment, demanding that we forsake our cause in exchange for our freedom. And so now, we’re forced to confront those that refuse to look us in the eyes with the very foundation of the humanity they deny recognising in us – our life, and our right to life.” 

Amu also states: “I’m hunger striking because my body has been put in custody of the state – but i still have a duty to fight for freedom from oppression…. How can we sit in prison, waiting until the noose tightens around our necks for opposing genocide? How could I not take action, as children are murdered with complete impunity by a genocidal zionist state? Looking away from horrors will not stop them happening and we need to face reality. Are we supposed to smile and ask nicely for our lines from a ‘justice system’ which is fundamentally corrupted by zionism?”

Francesca Nadin, Prisoners for Palestine spokesperson said: “The unnecessary imprisonment of Palestine activists is clearly part of an orchestrated witch-hunt by the British government. In the face of this abuse of state power, the prisoners have no choice but to fight back in the only way they can and strike for their freedom.”

“Today, on the anniversary of the Balfour declaration, they continue to protest the government’s involvement in the ongoing Genocide in Gaza by demanding the permanent closure of all Elbit systems factories in the UK, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. We will support them in the pursuit of their demands through solidarity actions across the country, galvanising the massive public sympathy towards them through their unjust incarceration.”

Palestine Action were proscribed, as a supposed terrorist organisation, by the government in July, and since then the treatment of activists being held on remand in relation to anti-Genocide actions has deteriorated even further, while more than 2000 protestors, opposed to the ban, have been arrested. A judicial review against proscription will be heard between the 25th and 27th November. Further mass protests are planned between the 18^th and 29^th November.​​​​​​​

For media and press enquiries, contact us on prisoners4palestine@proton.me

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

Over a week ago, in a letter to the Home Secretary, Prisoners for Palestine warned the British government, that pro-Palestine prisoners, all of whom have been unjustly treated, and imprisoned for up to a year without trial, were preparing to go on hunger strike. Many of these prisoners were arrested in dramatic dawn raids, with the police misusing counter-terrorism powers, something which has even been condemned by the UN. They have faced systematic abuse throughout their incarceration, and since the proscription of Palestine Action in July, the level of abuse and mistreatment has escalated. The prisoners feel they have no other choice, but to launch a rolling hunger strike in support of a principled set of demands, which include an end to interference with their communications, the right to a fair trial, and the deproscription of Palestine Action.

The letter sent to the Home Secretary by Prisoners for Palestine has gone unanswered and ignored. Consequently, the prisoners have advised that a rolling hunger strike will commence on the 2^nd November, Balfour Day, when the first of the prisoners will refuse food.

Despite the indifference of the government to the impending hunger-strike, support for the prisoners continues to grow. A well-attended and vocal demonstration was held outside the Home Office yesterday, and numerous groups and organisations have already pledged support, including Defend Our Juries, Campaign Against The Arms Trade, CAGE International, and Black Lives Matter UK.

Since Palestine Action were proscribed, by the British Government, as a ‘terrorist’ organisation, over 2000 people have been arrested in England and Wales, mainly for holding up cardboard signs reading, ‘I oppose Genocide. I support Palestine Action.’ Most have been arrested at mass protests organised by Defend Our Juries. There have been similar ‘Lift The Ban’ actions in Scotland and the North of Ireland, but no arrests made. The proscription will be challenged, by way of Judicial Review in November.

Today, Prisoners for Palestine and Defend Our Juries held a joint online press conference, which was chaired by Jennifer Nadel, with contributions from Francesca Nadin of Prisoners for Palestine, Clare Hinchcliffe, mother of Zoe Rogers of the Filton 24, Steve Masters, an RAF veteran arrested for holding a sign supporting Palestine Action, Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo prisoner and director of CAGE, and John McDonnell MP.

Speaking on behalf of Prisoners for Palestine, Francesca Nadin, former Palestine Action prisoner said:​​​​​​​ “It’s no great surprise that the government has ignored the prisoners’ demands, this is simply a continuation of  the corruption and violence enacted by the British state- not only upon the prisoners, but most importantly on the Palestinian people. It seems that they believe that they can act against the wishes of the people, but we are here to tell them otherwise. The prisoners lead the way with the resolve and moral clarity and we must heed their call. We are here today with Defend Our Juries to show the British state that we will not be intimidated into silence, on the contrary, we are fighting for the same cause and will continue to escalate. For justice, for freedom, to stop the genocide in Palestine.”

“This is a historic moment. It is up to the government to choose how to react. We will continue to escalate and we call on the public to support the hunger strikers in any way possible.” 

In a pre-recorded video , John McDonnell MP said that he voted against the proscription of Palestine Action because he believed it was a misuse of the existing legislation. He said that he was very concerned about the arrest of so many people, simply for holding up a placard, and was really worried about the imprisoned activists, and the fact they could be on remand for up to 2 years, supporting their release on bail, and their right to a fair trial. John concluded, “I would urge the government to lift the proscription, end the prosecutions, and make sure that in future, we are treating protest as a civil liberty, a basic human right, and not an act of terrorism.”

For media and press enquiries, contact us at prisoners4palestine@proton.me

20th October 2025

To the Home Secretary,

We are writing on behalf of prisoners for Palestine in Britain, regarding their false imprisonment as a direct result of the UK’s direct involvement in Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

After exhausting all legal avenues to win our basic rights, you leave us with no choice but to take drastic action. On Sunday 2nd November 2025, to commemorate the anniversay of the Balfour declaration, we, Prisoners for Palestine, will begin an open ended hunger strike, and other prisoners may join the hunger strike if the demands are not met.

It is morally and legally imperative that the government immediately fulfils the following demands in order to end the hunger strike:

1. End all censorship 

We demand to be able to send and receive communications without restriction, surveillance, or interference from the prison administration. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right that is vital for prisoners, whose voices are already systematically silenced. Censorship inside prisons is a tool of control used to punish resistance. 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. 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.

Some prisoners who are being held on remand for taking direct action for Palestine in Britain will be held for up to two years without a conviction, breaking the pre-trial custody time limit of 182 days. This is an unprecedented attack on protest in this country. The majority of these prisoners were arrested under counter-terror legislation before the proscription of Palestine Action, even though they are being prosecuted under criminal, not terror, legislation. This evidences the fact that their treatment is completely disproportionate.

It is clear that anti-terror legislation is being used in these cases as an intimidation tactic against activists, and that their imprisonment was part of a carefully conceived plan to proscribe Palestine Action. The prisoners are now being retrospecitvely punished for the proscription, for example with the use of the Prevent strategy and JEXU. The ‘terror link’ that has been introduced to their cases will not be put before the jury, denying them the right to a fair trial. Government advisors have explicitly stated that these cases do not reach the threshold for the definition of terrorism, being based solely on property damage. This seriously calls into question the integrity of our legal system and judicial process.

This state persecution occurs while the UK government continues to assist the Israeli military with intelligence in real time during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, and allows companies such as Elbit Systems UK to export millions of pounds worth of arms to Israel.The harsh treatment of the prisoners is a direct result of the close relationship between Elbit Systems and the British government, since they dared to interrupt the production of the miltary-industrial complex. Evidence clearly shows that there is collusion between Elbit systems, the British government, police, attorney general and Israeli officials through undisclosed meetings. The British state manipulates the machinery of justice to incarcerate prisoners with no reasonable justification, following the example set by British colonisers who introduced administrative detenion to Palestine during the British mandate. This continues to be used today to illegally detain and oppress the Palestinian people.

From the time of the British mandate and the Balfour declaration, the British state has been instrumental in the subjugation of the Palestinian people, denying them the right to exist. As the original colonisers of Palestine, Britain continues to see it as a duty to maintain this colonisation through its open and well-documented collusion with Elbit and the rogue state of Israel. On the contrary, it is our duty as citizens, both inside and outside prison, to do everything in our power to end the illegal occupation of Palestine and uphold international law, something that the British state has roundly failed to do.

Please respond to this letter by 24th October 2025.

Sincerely,

Prisoners for Palestine

prisoners4palestine@proton.me