U.K. Palestine Action protesters end hunger strike over government contract

Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Three activists linked to the banned group Palestine Action ended their hunger strike in prison after the British government opted not to give a $2.7 billion project to the U.K. subsidiary of Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Heba Muraisi, 31, and Kamran Ahmed, 28, were 73 days and 66-days into their hunger strikes, while Lewie Chiaramello, 22, had been refusing food on alternate days for 46 days, when they halted their protest on Wednesday. Prisoners for Palestine said four others who had temporarily resumed taking food were also ending their protest on the basis of the Ministry of Defense decision not to award the contract to train 60,000 British troops to Elbit, which was one of the protesters' main demands. The group said a meeting of senior prison healthcare leaders and representatives of the hunger striking prisoners brokered by Ministry of Justice to discuss prison conditions and treatment, had also been instrumental in persuading the seven to quit. Related Greta Thunberg arrested in London for holding protest sign Trump moves to blacklist Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organization Decision delayed in London flag display charge against Kneecap rapper Over 200 arrested at London pro-Palestinian protest However, the BBC said the move had been precipitated by Ahmed being rushed to the hospital earlier Wednesday in a serious condition. It added that the strikers' main grievance delays of up to a year until their trials were due to start. The Guardian reported that a fifth protester, 22-year-old Umar Khalid, was remaining on hunger strike after ending a pause on Saturday. Authorities' nervousness had been mounting over the fate of Muraisi, Ahmed and Chiaramello, who are on remand awaiting trial for alleged offenses linked to Palestine Action protests, because in previous hunger strikes, day 46 was the point at which people began dying. Prisoners for Palestine warned that resuming eating was among the most dangerous phases of a hunger strike and carried the risk of death itself, if not carried out properly. The group had been demanding Elbit's U.K. operation be shuttered but the government's withholding of business from Elbit marks a significant shift after granting the firm no fewer than 10 contracts over the past 13 years. The hunger strikers' other key demand was the reversal of a ban on Palestine Action after the government designated it a terrorist organization in July. The group disbanded shortly afterward. Since then, more than 2,000, many of them in the 60s and 70s, have been arrested for publicly displaying signs saying they support Palestine Action, which is an offense under the Terrorism Act used to proscribe the group. A legal challenge to the ban is currently awaiting a judgment from the High Court in London.

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