‘Show some humanity before it is too late,’ Lammy told as Palestine Action hunger striker rushed to hospital
Shut The System activists cover Justice Secretary David Lammy’s office in graffitiActivists graffiti the 8 hunger strikers’ demands across the Deputy PM’s north London office
A PALESTINE ACTION hunger striker was rushed to hospital some 24 hours after she reported needing urgent medical attention on her 46th day without food at HMP Bronzefield today.
Supporters including Zarah Sultana MP, doctors and trade unionists demanded immediate hospitalisation and independent medical assessment for 20-year-old Qesser Zuhrah for more than 12 hours before she was transferred out of the site by ambulance.
The Your Party MP said that Ms Zuhrah had been “refused an ambulance by the prison. She is critically ill and at immediate risk of dying.”
Online footage showed protesters chanting “let the doctor go” as a man was arrested around the time an ambulance left the scene at about 2.30pm.
Ms Zuhrah has been on remand at HMP Bronzefield awaiting trial over an August 2024 break-in at an Israeli defence firm near Bristol by the direct action group.
She is among dozens of Palestine Action activists who have been detained well over the six-month custody threshold after it was proscribed in July.
Ms Zuhrah was reportedly unable to stand and began suffering “severe” pain that required urgent medical attention from Tuesday afternoon.
Campaigners for her and other hunger strikers said that repeated calls for emergency care were made, but “prison staff have so far refused entry to ambulances and delayed treatment overnight.”
The demonstration was held outside the prison from 1.20am and the demands of the eight hunger strikers were graffitied across Mr Lammy’s north London office by Shut the System Activists.
The statement included a call for an end to media censorship, immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, the de-proscription of Palestine Action and to close all sites of Israel’s main arms supplier, Elbit Systems.
South East Coast Ambulance Service said that it did not comment on individual cases, and referred queries to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which was contacted for comment.
PM Sir Keir Starmer was meanwhile accused of “a lack of humanity toward people at serious risk of death” by Jeremy Corbyn MP.
The former Labour leader asked him if the MoJ would meet lawyers for the hunger strikers in the Commons.
Mr Corbyn told Sir Keir that “these are all prisoners on remand, they’re not convicted of anything. A further prisoner has been taken to hospital, as have others.
“Many people are very concerned about the regular breaches of prison conditions and prison rules in respect of these hunger strikers.
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Diane Abbott, Zarah Sultana, Ayoub Khan, John McDonnell and Lord Hendy KC were among those who signed the open letter telling Mr Lammy to take “responsibility and show some humanity before it is too late.”
Mr Lammy’s office was targeted by protesters from Shut The System today, who graffitied their demands in red on the north London building.
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Amnesty International UK’s Kerry Moscogiuri said: “This cruel misuse of terrorism legislation is a shameful moment for the UK government.
“It must urgently do everything in its power to bring an end to this terrible situation.”
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Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/show-some-humanity-it-too-late-lammy-told-palestine-action-hunger-striker-rushed-hospital
