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London, United Kingdom – A pro-Palestine activistic connected hunger onslaught plans to commencement refusing fluids arsenic good arsenic food, telling Al Jazeera that helium hopes his “drastic action” pressures the authorities into engaging with his protestation demands.
Umer Khalid, a Palestine Action-linked remand prisoner, stopped eating 13 days ago. He is presently receiving fluids with electrolytes, sugars and salts but said helium volition halt drinking altogether from Saturday.
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While the assemblage tin past for weeks without food, dehydration is definite to person fatal consequences successful a acold shorter time.
The escalation comes days aft 3 different hunger-striking remand prisoners affiliated with Palestine Action ended their protests, claiming victory.
“The lone happening that seems to person immoderate impact, whether that is affirmative oregon negative, is drastic action,” Khalid, 22, told Al Jazeera from situation via an intermediary. “The onslaught reflects the severity of this imprisonment. Being successful this situation is not surviving life. Our lives person been paused. The satellite spins, and we beryllium successful a factual room. This onslaught reflects the severity of my demands.”
Khalid is calling for contiguous bail; an extremity to alleged censorship successful situation – authorities person been accused of withholding mail, calls and books and denying visitation rights; an enquiry into alleged British engagement successful Israeli subject operations successful Gaza; and the merchandise of surveillance footage from Royal Air Force (RAF) spy flights that flew implicit Gaza connected April 1, 2024, erstwhile British assistance workers were killed successful an Israeli attack.
Brize Norton break-in
Khalid is among 5 activists accused of breaking into the United Kingdom’s largest airbase, RAF Brize Norton, successful Oxfordshire successful June and spray-painting 2 Voyager refuelling and transport planes. The incident, which was claimed by Palestine Action, caused millions of pounds worthy of damage, according to the British government, which aboriginal proscribed the protestation radical arsenic a “terrorist” organisation.
Critics person condemned the prohibition arsenic illiberal overreach, fixed that Palestine Action’s stated objective is to usage nonviolent means to antagonistic Israel’s genocidal warfare against Palestinians and what it says is British complicity successful it.
Khalid denies the charges against him of conspiracy to perpetrate transgression harm and conspiracy to participate a prohibited spot for purposes prejudicial to the information oregon interests of the UK.
He is portion of a corporate of 8 remand prisoners linked to Palestine Action that began a rolling hunger onslaught successful November. Last week, 3 of them – two of whom were connected the brink of decease – ended their protests. Khalid is the lone 1 inactive refusing food.
Eight remand prisoners accused of incidents claimed by Palestine Action person joined the rolling hunger onslaught since November. Top enactment from left: Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink and Kamran Ahmed. Bottom enactment from left: Qesser Zuhrah, Lewie Chiaramello, Teuta Hoxha and Umer Khalid [Courtesy of Prisoners for Palestine]Those present refeeding said improved situation rights signalled a concession. The UK’s reported denial of a defence declaration to Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, is besides being interpreted by them arsenic a win.
Throughout the hunger strike, the British authorities said it has nary powerfulness implicit the contented of bail due to the fact that it is simply a substance for the judiciary to decide. The authorities besides insisted that situation payment procedures are being followed.
As for Khalid’s different demands, past year, the absorption Labour Party blocked a measure tabled by the left-wing lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn backing an authoritative enquiry into Britain’s engagement successful the warfare connected Gaza.
And successful April, the Ministry of Defence told The Times paper that it had video footage from an RAF surveillance level that had flown implicit Gaza connected the time of the Israeli onslaught that killed the assistance workers but could not disclose immoderate further details, citing nationalist security.
Britain has said it flew spy planes implicit Gaza during Israel’s onslaught to find missing captives, but critics person raised questions astir imaginable quality sharing with Israel.
Asim Qureshi, probe manager astatine the run radical Cage, told Al Jazeera that the government’s refusal to conscionable with Khalid to negociate connected his demands “indicates their deficiency of interest for the beingness of this man, who is acting based connected his principles wrong the discourse of a genocide”.
The Ministry of Justice has not commented connected Khalid’s imprisonment oregon demands.
‘I outcry myself to sleep’
Khalid’s household and friends told Al Jazeera that they are peculiarly acrophobic due to the fact that helium suffers with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a information that causes musculus weakness and wasting.
“I miss him,” his mother, Shabana Khalid, said, warring backmost tears. “He’s starting to consciousness tired.
“My archetypal thoughts erstwhile I aftermath up are with Umer. Some nights, I outcry myself to sleep.”
As she herself recovers from crab and takes attraction of her disabled sister, travelling to Prison Wormwood Scrubs successful London, 320km (200 miles) from the household location successful Manchester, is fraught with logistical challenges. She past saw her lad connected December 26 and does not cognize erstwhile she volition beryllium capable to sojourn him next.
She accused Wormwood Scrubs of denying visiting rights, saying she and his friends person applied to the situation to spot him but are told determination are nary appointments for weeks.
“My worries are that he’s going to diminution very, precise quickly,” she said.
At the clip of publication, Wormwood Scrubs had not responded to Al Jazeera’s petition for comment.
Umer’s member Usman, a mechanical engineering graduate, told Al Jazeera: “When Umer says he’s going to bash something, helium means it with his afloat sincerity. And arsenic morbid and bittersweet arsenic it mightiness beryllium to say, I deliberation successful his ain caput he’s prepared to enactment his beingness connected the enactment for this cause.”
Usman said that portion helium supports his brother’s protestation demands, “from a somewhat selfish and benignant of idiosyncratic perspective, I anticipation helium doesn’t [start refusing water].”
According to the Prisoners for Palestine group, which advocates for the protesters, Umer has asked situation unit “not to intervene successful the lawsuit helium becomes unconscious”.
In December, helium ended a 12-day hunger onslaught owed to his declining health.
His parent said that earlier entering prison, helium managed his uncommon information cautiously with a balanced fare and plentifulness of exercise.
“Alhamdulillah [Thank God], I americium well. I consciousness precise beardown some mentally and physically,” Umer said. “I tin usually usage the situation gym erstwhile a week, but I’m not utilizing it during my strike.”
He said helium passes the clip by praying and speechmaking books.
His proceedings day is acceptable for January 2027, by which clip helium volition person spent a twelvemonth and a fractional successful situation – acold beyond the modular six-month pre-trial detention limit.
His person Danyal Osman, 29, told Al Jazeera that helium feels “very anxious” but “completely” supports Umer “because we each privation him to beryllium free”.
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