Last UK pro-Palestine hunger striker says he will refuse water

The last British hunger striker affiliated with Prisoners for Palestine (P4P) has announced plans to escalate his protest by beginning a "thirst strike", as he calls on the UK government to respond to allegations of complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza. 

Umer Khalid, a remand prisoner linked to Palestine Action who resumed his hunger strike on 10 January, said on Thursday that he will stop drinking water in addition to refusing food.

In a statement released by P4P, Khalid warned that he would cease all fluid intake from Saturday unless the government agrees to meet with his representatives. 

Now on the fourteenth day of his hunger strike, Khalid is being held on remand at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.  

P4P has warned that the 22-year-old activist suffers from Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that significantly heightens the health risks associated with prolonged hunger and thirst strikes. 

"The hunger strike is far from over, and our comrade Umer's life is in great danger due to the abdication of responsibility of the British state at all levels, from politicians to prison governors," said Francesca Nadin, a spokesperson for Prisoners for Palestine. 

"This completely irresponsible and cruel disregard for the prisoners' lives is also reflected in the continued medical neglect of those who have ended their hunger strike. There must be state intervention in these matters immediately," she added. 

The group also cited Khalid’s close friend, Danyal Osman, who said it was "so hard not to feel an incredible sense of dread, and with his thirst strike fast approaching".

P4P said activists have written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging the government to meet Khalid’s representatives in order to bring the hunger strike to a safe conclusion. 

Khalid’s demands include his immediate release on bail, an end to what supporters describe as censorship within prison- including alleged restrictions on mail, phone calls, books and visits- as well as an inquiry into alleged British involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza. 

He is also calling for the release of surveillance footage from Royal Air Force (RAF) reconnaissance flights over Gaza on 1 April 2024, when British aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike. 

As preparations for the thirst strike continue, P4P has accused prison authorities of mistreating Khalid since he was first held on remand in July last year. 

"Umer has continuously been subjected to violent abuse by the prison, namely the abuse and denial of his religious and welfare rights. He was initially barred from showering or using a prayer mat to perform his prayers, and denied access to a Quran, which the prison permitted only after public outrage," the group said in a recent statement. 

"Denial of his religious rights has continued, however, with prison officers physically assaulting him, putting him in solitary confinement, cutting off his clothes and strip-searching him for giving the call to prayer. His calls, visits and access to the post are also severely restricted and monitored," it added. 

Khalid is one of five activists associated with the direct action group Palestine Action accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s largest airbase, in Oxfordshire last June, during which two Voyager refuelling and transport aircraft were spray-painted.  

The UK government said the incident caused millions of pounds in damage. 

Palestine Action was later banned under UK anti-terrorism legislation, a move that has been widely criticised by human rights organisations over the proscription of a non-violent protest group.  

The organisation has consistently maintained that it uses non-violent methods to oppose Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians and alleged British complicity in it. 

Khalid is part of a group of eight remand prisoners linked to Palestine Action who began a rolling hunger strike in November.  

He denies charges of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK. 

His decision to begin a thirst strike - which carries potentially fatal consequences far more rapidly than food refusal alone - follows the decision by three other hunger strikers to end their protests last week.  

Two of them had reportedly been close to death. 

Hamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello ended their strikes after it was announced that Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems had been denied a UK government contract.  

However, in an interview with The New Arab last week, Nadin said several key issues had remained unresolved, including the trials of the "Filton 24" and a judicial review into the proscription of Palestine Action.