‘I couldn’t be more scared’: Palestine Action hunger strike enters day 45
A friend of a Palestine Action activist on hunger strike in a British prison has spoken of growing concern for their health as the protest enters its sixth week.
Rowan Wilson said their friend, 30-year-old Amu Gib, has been refusing food for 45 days while being held on remand.
“In resisting with the only tool prison affords them, they join a tradition of prison protest that stretches from HMP Bronzefield to Ireland to Palestine,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them – and I couldn’t be more scared.”
Gib was among the first of the group to begin a hunger strike. Supporters say eight Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners are currently refusing food across five prisons, with five hospitalised.
Gib is accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton, Britain’s largest air force base, and damaging two military aircraft alongside three other people. Gib has said the planes were used for surveillance flights over Gaza and to transport weapons.
Palestine Action, the group linked to the protest, has since been proscribed as a “terrorist” organisation by the UK government. UN legal experts called the decision “unnecessary” and a misuse of counterterrorism laws.
Fears grow for Palestine Action hunger strikers as friends recall 1981 protests
Friends of Palestine Action on hunger strike in UK prisons have drawn comparisons to the 1981 Irish hunger strikes, warning that detainees may be approaching a critical point as the British government remains silent on their deteriorating health.
Jessica Dolliver, a friend of one of those on a hunger strike, Jon Cink, said the situation echoes a dark chapter in Irish history.
“I’m petrified for my friend. As an Irish person, the hunger strikes from 1980 and 1981 are ringing in my ears,” she said. “I know that the British government are entirely capable of letting these protesters die in custody without trial.
“The hunger strikers have passed a point of no return. Jon’s kidneys are shutting down. I’m scared they will never be the same again.”
Ten Irish republican prisoners died in British prisons during the 1981 hunger strike, including elected MP Bobby Sands. Martin Hurson died after 46 days without food. Cink has been on a hunger strike for 41 days. He was arrested over an alleged break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists are accused of damaging military aircraft they say are linked to UK military operations in Gaza.
UK MPs urge government to intervene over Palestine Action hunger strikers
More than 50 UK MPs and peers have urged the government to urgently intervene over the health of Palestine Action activists on hunger strike in British prisons, warning that several detainees face life-threatening medical conditions.
In a letter signed by 51 parliamentarians and addressed to the justice secretary David Lammy, the lawmakers called for an immediate meeting with the law firm representing eight prisoners currently refusing food.
The MPs said the lawyers had written to the government on December 9, warning that their clients’ health could deteriorate “beyond any possible recovery” without urgent action.
“We are growing increasingly dismayed at the government’s lack of action to protect the health and wellbeing of British citizens,” the letter said.
The hunger strikes are linked to the detention of Palestine Action–affiliated activists accused of damaging military or defence-related sites, including RAF bases and facilities connected to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Supporters say the protests are aimed at opposing UK military support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The hunger strikers are at risk of death.
I asked the minister if he would do the bare minimum and meet their lawyers — a demand shared by over 50 MPs and Peers.
His response? “No”. MPs laughed along. They should be ashamed of themselves.
pic.twitter.com/NTNnIc4ZMB
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 16, 2025
