United Kingdom: on hunger strike for 13 days, a pro-Palestinian activist announces that he will also stop drinking

In an article published today on the websiteAl Jazeerapro-Palestinian activist Umer Khalid, 22, detained in pre-trial detention in the United Kingdom, announces that he will toughen up his hunger strike by also refusing any liquid intake from Saturday. He has been on hunger strike for 13 days. According to Al Jazeerathe young man, linked to the collective Palestine Actionprotests against what he sees as British complicity in Israel’s war against the Palestinians in Gaza. He calls for immediate release on bail, an end to restrictions he considers arbitrary in prison and the opening of an investigation into the role of the United Kingdom in Israeli military operations.

Still according to the Qatari media, Umer Khalid is being prosecuted for his alleged involvement in an action carried out in June on the air base of RAF Brize Nortonwhere activists are accused of illegally entering the site and damaging military aircraft. He denies the charges against him and remains incarcerated pending his trial, scheduled for 2027. Al Jazeera underlines that this decision greatly worries his loved ones, especially since he suffers from a rare muscular dystrophy. His family warns of a rapid deterioration in his state of health and denounces persistent difficulties in visiting him. The British prison authorities have not reacted at this stage.

This hunger strike highlights how the UK is dealing with some of the pro-Palestinian activism, through prolonged pre-trial detentions and a heightened security approach. It also raises the question of the margins of expression left to activists when they believe that political and legal channels no longer allow them to make their demands heard. Resorting to such radical action then appears to be a final means of pressure, at the cost of considerable human risks.