Police arrest 86 protesters supporting Palestine Action outside prison

Eighty-six people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass after protesters breached the grounds of a London prison in support of a pro-Palestinian hunger striker, UK police said Sunday.

The group were "protesting in support of a Palestine Action prisoner on a hunger strike" late Saturday and then refused to leave the prison grounds when ordered to do so, London's Metropolitan Police said on X.

"They allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and leaving, threatened police officers and a number managed to get inside a staff entrance area of a prison building," police said, adding "all those involved" were detained.

In response to this, a spokesperson for Prisoners for Palestine (P4P) said: "Last night, there was a violent and wildly disproportionate response by the police to the protest outside Wormwood Scrubs, as Umer entered the second day of his thirst strike."

The group alleges attendees, including pensioners, were punched, kicked and bound face down on the floor by the police, saying a Bronze Commander has been filmed repeatedly punching a restrained protester. 

"Almost one hundred violent arrests laid bare the fragility and fear of the British state. Our prisoners have shown no bars can stop their resistance, and outside, no amount of violence will stop us escalating for Palestine," P4P added.

"Hundreds have committed to drive Elbit out of Britain with direct action following the hunger strikes, and this repression and violence will only make us stronger."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson described the incident as "deeply concerning".

The incident took place outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London, where a man named Muhammad Umer Khalid is being held and has been on hunger strike for over two weeks, according to the campaign group.

He is one of several people who have been on hunger strike at various points in recent months as they await trial for an alleged break-in and criminal damage on behalf of the Palestine Action campaign group before it was banned under anti-terrorism laws.

Khalid and the others deny those charges and have called for them to be dropped.