Protests15 January, 20262 min read
Three Palestine Action Activists End Hunger Strike After UK Government Refuses To Award £2bn Contract To Elbit Systems UK
Three Palestine Action activists ended a 73-day hunger strike and began re-feeding UK government refused to award Elbit Systems UK a reported £2 billion defence contract
18 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on France Suspends Police Stun Grenades at High School Protests After 15-Year-Old Loses Hand →
UK activists end hunger strike
Three activists affiliated with Palestine Action — Kamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello — ended a prolonged hunger strike after the UK government reportedly decided not to award a roughly £2 billion Ministry of Defence training contract to Elbit Systems UK, campaigners and multiple news outlets said. Campaign group Prisoners for Palestine described the contract refusal as meeting a 'key' demand and the immediate reason several detainees began medically supervised re-feeding, although other reports noted some participants had already paused earlier. The detainees are remanded and await trial on allegations connected to Palestine Action demonstrations; organisers and supporters deny the charges and say the strike highlighted pre-trial detention conditions.
“Three prisoners affiliated with Palestine Action have ended their hunger strike after the government decided not to award a £2bn contract to Elbit Systems UK; four others who had paused their strikes have chosen not to resume.”
Health and safety concerns
Several outlets warned the strikers had reached durations comparable to past fatal hunger strikes and were at acute medical risk. Doctors oversaw re-feeding because of the danger of multi-system organ failure or other life-threatening complications. Heba Muraisi was reported to have reached day 73, Kamran Ahmed had been hospitalised, and Lewie Chiaramello, a type-1 diabetic who had been fasting intermittently, was among those re-feeding.
Campaigners and some medical observers urged careful supervised re-feeding because of the well-documented risks. Prison healthcare leaders met strike representatives, and reports said immediate practical improvements, such as the return of withheld mail, delivery of books, and apologies for delays, were secured in some cases.
Hunger strike and allegations
The hunger strike was presented as both a protest over conditions and part of a broader campaign aiming to halt Elbit's UK operations and reverse the proscription of Palestine Action. Reporting identified the detainees as among the 'Filton 24' held on remand and charged with offences related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage at an Elbit site; defendants deny the allegations. Supporters said the strike began on 2 November to press multiple demands including blocking the Elbit contract, ending the organisation's proscription, improved access to communications and closer prison placements for some detainees.
“The detainees are among the 'Filton 24,' held on remand and charged with damaging an Elbit research site; they deny the allegations.”
MoD contract controversy
Official and investigative angles differed across reports. Several accounts linked the MoD’s contract decision to internal concerns and a whistleblower dossier alleging improper contacts between a former brigadier and Elbit.
The MoD said it had investigated and blamed administrative delay, while an internal review found no breach of business‑appointment rules in at least one report. Prison service and healthcare leaders held talks with prisoner representatives, but outlets noted uncertainty whether the contract decision represented a broader policy shift or a discrete procurement outcome.
Campaign reactions and coverage
Activists hailed the outcome as a victory and vowed further action against Elbit while promising to challenge the proscription of Palestine Action. Human rights and medical observers warned about potential long-term harm to detainees. Some outlets emphasised the symbolic and political significance, describing the action as a 'landmark' protest or 'an embarrassment for the British state'.
“They framed the strike as a 'landmark' act exposing what they called British political prisoners linked to a foreign 'genocidal regime.'”
Other outlets cautioned that the procurement outcome might not signal a lasting policy change. Reporting also contains small but notable inconsistencies, for example the surviving ongoing striker’s name appears as 'Umar Khalid', 'Umer Khalid' or 'Umar/Khalid' across pieces, which shows editorial variation in detail.
