Minister says government not mistreating Palestine Action activists on hunger strike | UK news
A minister said the government was “not trying to break the bodies” of hunger-striking Palestine Action protesters after a doctor said eight of the activists had died.
Detainees on hunger strike face charges related to alleged trespass or criminal damage on behalf of the Palestine Movement before the group was banned in July under terrorism legislation; They deny these charges and demand they be dropped.
On Thursday, two of the group reached their 47th day of protest, while the third is on day 46.
Sir Alan Campbell, leader of the House of Commons, responded to comments from Adnan Hussain, the independent MP for Blackburn, during Thursday’s Christmas delay debate: “Arrest is not punishment. It is not about breaking bodies or silencing dissenters.”
“Yet we witness that the conditions are so harsh that these young people risk death just to make their voices heard.”
Campbell said the claim “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Dr D., a lecturer at University College London and a qualified emergency physician. James Smith said at a press conference on Thursday that some of the prisoners on hunger strike were dying.
A group of 51 MPs and colleagues have written to justice secretary David Lammy, urging him to meet lawyers for the eight prisoners.
Independent MP and former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn told the House of Commons that the group had received “no concrete response from the Ministry of Justice”.
He said: “I hope that as they listen to this debate they will understand that they have a responsibility to support the health, wellbeing and support of prisoners in all our prisons, including those who are protesting.”
Campbell said: “The welfare and well-being of prisoners, whether they are on hunger strike or not, is absolutely central to the minds of the prison service and ministers. And it’s really important that we appreciate that the deputy prime minister is paying close attention to what’s going on and hope that we can find an appropriate outcome for that.”
“I must also say very kindly that to suggest that anyone in this House or outside, the government or the prison service is somehow trying to ‘break the bodies’ of people on hunger strike, could not be further from the truth.
“We want to find a solution to this and I promise to take back to the deputy prime minister what has been said here today and hopefully we can find an appropriate way forward.”
Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: “We are very experienced in dealing with hunger strikes. Unfortunately, we have averaged over 200 cases of hunger strikes each year over the last five years and the processes we have are well established and work very well – prisons work with our NHS partners every day to ensure our systems are robust and working, and they are.”
