Southside MSP Nicola Sturgeon signs motion in support of hunger strikers, campaigners urge others to do the same
Eight prisoners on hunger strike in English prisons, detained over alleged actions in support of Palestine, may die, lawyers and family warn. Scottish politicians and campaigners call for urgent action, fair trials, and recognition of their plight.
Protestors in Glasgow City Centre
By Samar Jamal | Photos by Sadia Sikandar
Eight prisoners on hunger strike may die, their lawyers and families report. The group, held on remand in prisons across England for up to two years, are accused of break-ins at the UK subsidiary of the Israeli defence firm Elbit systems in Bristol and a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. They are part of a larger group of 29 people arrested in relation to the action.
Former First Minister and Southside Central MSP, Nicola Sturgeon, is among 23 Scottish politicians who have signed a motion expressing concern for their wellbeing and for fair and legal trial process. Others include former First Minister, Humzah Yousaf, and former Scottish Green Party leader, Patrick Harvie.
Nicola Sturgeon was approached by a group of her constituents who requested her to sign the motion, highlighting the urgency of the action.
One of the constituents, Ray, said they felt relieved that she signed the motion but also believes that people should be doing more, saying: “These people are being left to die in prison, and they've never even been given a trial.”
“Time's running out and we need to use everything we have to put pressure on David Lammy,” says Southside resident Ray. “He's refused to even meet with them and I worry they'll die before Christmas.”
Protestors outside BBC Scotland
The strikers – Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Teuta Hoxha, Lewie Chiaramello and Lewie Chiaramello – have five key demands: end all censorship, immediate bail, right to a fair trial, proscribe Palestine Action, and shut Elbit down.
Prisoners for Palestine, a prisoner-led collective in the UK representing those detained under charges related to Palestinian liberation, details mental and physical abuse faced by the group.
Quesser Zuhrah shared the treatment she’s faced. According to Prisoners for Palestine, prison staff have ‘forced her to remove her kuffiyah hijab, and confiscated all of her hijabs with the kuffiyah pattern from her cell. Her cell has also been searched without reason or respect for her privacy; on one occasion a guard stormed into her cell without his body came in to rip off the flowers she had put in her window, each symbolising a Palestinian martyr. Qesser has also been subjected to physical violence and has been assaulted and sexualised by the prison guards.’
A friend of Quessar’s who spoke with Middle East Eye, said that she: “was left to die” on the floor of her cell while in need of essential medical attention. Quessar and AMU Gib have been on strike for 44 days, with others following six closely behind.
Family and friends of the strikers have sought for Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy First Minister David Lammy’s support. In a video published on the 6 December by Prisoners for Palestine, Lammy responds to calls for action from protestors by saying “I didn’t know anything about this”. He’s since made no comment on the hunger strike.
Lammy has been approached for comment by Greater Govanhill but has not yet responded.
The protest is said to be the largest coordinated hunger strike in UK prisons since 1981 when Irish Republican inmates led by Bobby Sands refused food.
Mothers Against Genocide Scotland, an inclusive group of parents organising for Palestine and all oppressed people, recently attended a protest outside of the BBC Scotland building to demand coverage of the hunger strike, accusing the BBC of staying silent on this issue.
A spokesperson for the group told Greater Govanhill: “Mothers Against Genocide Scotland stand in solidarity with the hunger strikers, they have shown more bravery and strength than many of those in government. The consequences should lie at the door of the weapons industry who are actively enabling and profiting from the genocide of the Palestinian people. That those protesting it have been held on remand without trial, opportunity for bail and are being left without healthcare on hunger strike and ignored by our leaders, while those actively involved in the murder of tens of thousands walk free is a dire stain on this government…
“We are also urging Members of the Scottish Parliament to support Maggie Chapman’s motion, our members are participating in rolling fasts in solidarity and participating in the upcoming demo’s to raise awareness for the hunger strikers and to demand justice.”