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17 Dec 2025

'Horrendous' treatment of hunger striking 'Prisoners for Palestine' condemned by Cllr Shaun Harkin

'Four of the political prisoners for Palestine have been on hunger strike for more than 40 days and their situation is critical'

'Four of the political prisoners for Palestine have been on hunger strike for more than 40 days and their situation is critical'

'Four of the political prisoners for Palestine have been on hunger strike for more than 40 days and their situation is critical'.

Reporter:

Staff Reporter

17 Dec 2025 10:18 AM

Email:

news@derrynow.com

Derry City and Strabane District councillor Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) has described the treatment of eight remand prisoners currently being held in five different prisons in Britain as "horrendous".
The prisoners, who are currently on hunger strike, are waiting to go on trial for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action. 
"It is urgent we escalate pressure on the British government to act on the demands of eight imprisoned Palestine solidarity activists on hunger strike," said Cllr Harkin.
"Four of the political prisoners for Palestine have been on hunger strike for more than 40 days and their situation is critical. They have been held without trial for more than a year for allegedly disrupting weapons factories directly complicit with Israel's Gaza genocide," he added.
"They should be commended, not imprisoned, for acting to stop genocide while Starmer's government faciliated Israel's crimes against humanity. Their treatment by the British government has been horrendous. 
"The hunger strikers are demanding an end to censorship of their communications, the granting of immediate bail, the the right to a fair trial, the lifting of the ban on Palestine Action and the closure of Elbit Systems, Israel's largest weapons manufacturer, in Britain. Elbit Systems' British based operation has been handed 25 public contracts worth £355m since 2012. 
"The British Ministry of Defence is preparing to make Elbit Systems a strategic partner by signing a £2.7b contract with the company to train 60,000 troops a year. 
"Prisoners for Palestine are demanding an end to public funding for the machinery of genocide and the closure of all Elbit Systems in Britain. Elbit Systems should not receive a single penny of public money and should be shut down," said Cllr Harkin.
He added: "We send our solidarity to the hunger strikers, all the Prisoners for Palestine, their families and supporters. We should not allow Starmer to let them die. Mass pressure is needed now to force the British government to intervene and meet their demands."

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