By Eva Martin
We joined many others in breathing a massive sigh of relief and rejoicing at the news that Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed and Lewie Chiaramello decided to end their hunger strike in light of the decision by the government to turn down a £2 billion army training contract with Elbit Systems UK. This is a huge win for the Palestine Solidarity movement and is undoubtedly a result of the pressure waged from below by all of the brave activists who participated in the hunger strike and the support campaign. Various other important demands have also been met, including an end to censorship and withholding of the individual’s communications.
At risk of death
On Wednesday, Heba Muraisi would have been on hunger strike for 73 days – the same number of days reached by the Irish republican hunger striker Kieran Doherty, who survived the longest of ten men who died in the 1981 hunger strike in the North. Kamran Ahmed was on a hunger strike for 65 days. Lewie Chiaramello, who has type-one diabetes, engaged in an alternate-day hunger strike for 52 days. All of them will likely suffer long-term health consequences as a result of the prolonged refusal of food.
The callousness of Keir Starmer’s government is indisputable – they were prepared to let these young people starve to death. Had they died, their deaths would have amounted to state-sanctioned murder. It sums up the depravity of those in power, but so too does the fact that they have done business with and supported a genocidal state for over two years while attacking those who stood against it. The hunger strikers were among 32 people who have been imprisoned on remand for taking action against the British government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza – a genocide which is continuing in every way under the insulting banner of a ceasefire. It’s just not making headlines any longer. The Filton 24 make up the majority of those still imprisoned, all of whom are being held on remand for allegedly targeting Elbit Systems, the largest weapons manufacturer for Israel.
An example to be made
The British government wanted to make an example of the hunger strikers. They wanted these young people to disappear, and have punished and isolated all of the imprisoned activists in a bid to repress the Palestine solidarity movement by creating a chilling effect. They have used every rotten tool in their arsenal to gaslight and fearmonger in an attempt to justify their hypocritical labelling of the activists as terrorists for attempting to end war crimes. This is absolutely part of the broader political shift by not just Labour, but the entire political establishment, deeper into authoritarianism. The ruling class, not just in Britain, but across the world, are trying to make dissent disappear. This is because they see what is contained within the Palestine solidarity movement – a deep-rooted aspiration to live in a radically different type of world, and the seeds of a much deeper resistance to violent and exploitative status quo under global capitalism and all the horror it brings with it.
The unusually long remand periods these activists are being legally challenged over are a flagrant violation of their rights. We should take heed of how this will be exploited by those in power in setting a new precedent – that the right to a fair trial, even by the anti-working-class, sexist and racist standards of the legal system as it exists today – will only be eroded further.
Free the Filton 24 now!
As a movement, our struggle is far from over. The continued imprisonment of the hunger strikers means the Government has shown it is not moving away from its tactics of repression of the Palestine solidarity movement. The last two years have been a game-changer for millions globally in exposing the truth that there is no red line that those in power are not willing to cross if it means maintaining their power, including facilitating genocide.
Our solidarity with the hunger strikers and the people of Palestine inevitably necessitates struggle against the murderous machine that is capitalism and imperialism – a system that prioritises profit and the interests of the ultra-wealthy and powerful, whether they be individuals or states, and is inherently oppressive, exploitative and unequal – and bring an end to the complicity of corporations and institutions here in the genocide in Palestine. It’s time to end the profiteering from genocide, occupation and ethnic cleansing in Palestine and everywhere else in the world. The major arms companies and big tech companies that are facilitating the genocide via AI, etc., should be taken into public ownership, and their resources should be used in the interests of society, not to facilitate mass murder.
Solidarity needed
The bravery of Heba, Kamran, Lewie, Qesser, Amu, and Jon show the best of humanity. Their conviction and commitment to a free Palestine are inspiring, and it is a reminder of how powerful a force our solidarity is when we channel it into action. It is that very same solidarity among ordinary people across the world which has been the only thing to force governments, media outlets and international institutions to do anything, mostly symbolically, against Israel. It is only by strengthening and deepening our political struggle from below that we will win real change.
