Red Ribbons Campaign

Red Ribbons event in London highlights escalating crisis facing Palestinian hostages

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Red Ribbons event in London on 19 June 2026

LONDON – Emotional testimonies, legal arguments, and political interventions marked a high-profile solidarity event held at SOAS University of London on Friday evening, as speakers warned that the situation of Palestinian hostages held in Israeli detention has reached what they described as “unprecedented levels of brutality” amid the ongoing war on Gaza.

The event, organised by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) in partnership with the Red Ribbons Campaign, brought together campaign coordinator Adnan Hmidan, ICJP director Tayb Ali, lawyer Khaled Mahajneh, Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek, campaigner Katrina Graham, and Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn. The discussion was chaired by journalist and activist Matilda Mallinson.

Speakers repeatedly argued that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, conditions inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities have deteriorated sharply since October 2023, with thousands of Palestinian hostages held outside the reach of international monitors.

Opening the event, Red Ribbons Campaign coordinator Adnan Hmidan said the initiative was created to ensure that Palestinian hostages “are not erased from international consciousness”.

READ: NHS doctor challenges use of IHRA definition in High Court after suspension over political speech

He stressed that those held in Israeli detention include journalists, doctors, students, women and children, many of whom are detained without charge under administrative detention orders.

Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajneh delivered one of the most emotionally charged interventions of the evening, describing what he called a “parallel war” being waged inside Israeli prisons alongside the military assault on Gaza.

Mahajneh said conditions for Palestinian hostages have deteriorated significantly, citing widespread reports of starvation, medical neglect, prolonged isolation and systematic humiliation.

Mathilda Mallinson at the Red Ribbons event in London on 19 June 2026
Jeremy Corbyn at the Red Ribbons event in London on 19 June 2026
Dr Mustafa Barghouti at the Red Ribbons event in London on 19 June 2026

He also described a recent visit to imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, noting that Barghouti appeared deeply concerned with the condition of other detainees despite his own long-term isolation. Mahajneh said the repeated message he hears from inside detention facilities is simple: “Save us.”

Dr Mustafa Barghouti argued that new Israeli legislative measures should be understood within what he described as a wider apartheid system. He said the laws establish separate legal frameworks for Palestinians and Israeli Jews living under the same authority, entrenching structural discrimination.

Barghouti warned that the proposals reflect an escalating political culture of revenge following 7 October, and what he described as a widening acceptance of extreme policies within Israeli political discourse.

ICJP director and lawyer Tayb Ali focused on the legal implications of the proposed legislation, describing it as a “structural departure from fundamental principles of justice”.

He said the laws appear designed to target Palestinians as a collective category, removing judicial discretion through mandatory sentencing provisions in certain cases.

Ali criticised the reliance on military courts, noting their high conviction rates and the admissibility of evidence that would not meet standards in ordinary criminal justice systems.

He warned that accelerated procedures risk undermining the right to appeal and meaningful judicial review, effectively eroding basic due process protections.

READ: Rights groups condemn court-backed ban on Palestine Action

Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek said Israel is not only targeting Palestinians but also attempting to criminalise solidarity movements internationally. He argued that authorities seek to fragment the Palestinian cause into separate issues—prisoners, Gaza, refugees, and settlements—thereby obscuring its historical and political roots.

Campaigner Katrina Graham recounted her experience aboard the Sumud flotilla attempting to challenge the blockade on Gaza, including her detention by Israeli authorities. She referenced encounters with Israeli officials and described mistreatment during her detention, while emphasising that her experience was minor compared with the daily reality faced by Palestinian hostages.

Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also took part in the event, expressing solidarity with Palestinian hostages and calling for greater international scrutiny of their conditions.

His participation reflected growing concern among sections of British political and civil society over reports of abuses in Israeli detention facilities and the continued denial of basic rights to detainees.

Speakers throughout the evening stressed that while global attention remains focused on Gaza, the situation of Palestinian hostages inside Israeli prisons continues largely out of sight.

They urged international institutions, governments and civil society organisations to take urgent action to address what they described as a deepening humanitarian and legal crisis.

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingRed Ribbons event in London highlights escalating crisis facing Palestinian hostages

Palestinian Forum in Britain launches campaign to secure the release of Dr Hossam Abu Safiya

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Red Ribbons campaign by the Palestinian Forum in Britain in support of Dr Hussam Abu Safiyyah and Palestinian detainees

The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) has announced the launch of a new solidarity campaign calling for the release of Dr Hossam Abu Safiya and all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons. The campaign will take the form of a calm, symbolic action titled the “Red Ribbons Campaign”, to be held on Saturday 20 December at Oxford Circus in central London, at 1:00 pm.

The Forum explained that the event is neither a demonstration nor a protest march, but a silent, peaceful act of solidarity. Participants will hang red ribbons and display specially designed posters carrying clear demands for freedom and justice, conveying a humanitarian message to British and international public opinion about the suffering of Palestinian prisoners.

The Forum invited participants to bring red ribbons if possible, stressing that presence alone is a statement, and that quiet, symbolic solidarity can be more powerful than slogans, particularly amid ongoing attempts to criminalise or restrict pro-Palestine advocacy in the British public sphere.

The red ribbon: a global symbol for the prisoners’ cause

In a clarifying statement, the Palestinian Forum in Britain emphasised that the campaign aims to establish the red ribbon as a global symbol for raising awareness of the Palestinian prisoners’ cause, and to highlight their situation as hostages of the occupation—especially in light of what it described as an “unprecedented escalation in policies of arrest, isolation, starvation and enforced disappearance”.

The Forum noted that the choice of red reflects danger, urgency and the ongoing human bleeding inside prisons, serving as an open call to the global conscience not to normalise silence in the face of these violations.

READ: Israeli court extends detention of Gaza hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya for 6 months

Shocking figures on the reality of prisoners as of December 2025

The campaign draws on documentation by Palestinian prisoners’ rights institutions and figures released by the Israeli Prison Service up to December 2025, which reveal a stark and brutal reality:

  • The total number of prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons stands at approximately 9,300, the majority of whom are detainees and administrative prisoners, excluding those held in Israeli army camps.
  • The number of sentenced prisoners has reached 1,254.
  • There are 51 female prisoners, including two children.
  • Around 350 child prisoners are being held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons.
  • The number of administrative detainees has reached 3,350.
  • Some 1,220 detainees are classified as “unlawful combatants”—a figure that does not include all Gaza detainees held in army camps, and which also includes Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.

The Forum stressed that these figures point to a system of mass detention based on the denial of the most basic legal and human rights, constituting a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

An open call for solidarity

The Palestinian Forum in Britain concluded its statement by calling on all people of conscience in Britain to take part in the Red Ribbons Campaign, affirming that the prisoners’ cause—foremost among them Dr Hossam Abu Safiya—is not solely a Palestinian issue, but one of justice and human dignity that deserves to remain at the heart of public discourse, regardless of mounting attempts at marginalisation or exclusion.

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Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Continue ReadingPalestinian Forum in Britain launches campaign to secure the release of Dr Hossam Abu Safiya