Dozens of protesters were arrested on Jan. 24 on suspicion of aggravated trespass after allegedly breaching prison grounds at Wormwood Scrubs in London.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a Jan. 24 post on X that a group “protesting in support of a Palestine Action prisoner on a hunger strike” refused to leave the grounds when ordered to do so, allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and leaving, and threatened police officers.
Police said some of the protesters managed to get inside a staff entrance area of a prison building. In a Jan. 25 update on X, police said 86 people were arrested following the incident.
Eight prisoners at the facility are currently facing charges related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage on behalf of Palestine Action. Some have been on a hunger strike.
A UK Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the incident was “deeply concerning.”
“At no point was prison security compromised, however where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences,” the spokesperson said.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with long-standing policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by health care teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
In July, Palestine Action was formally proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK.
The ban makes it a criminal offense to be a member of, or show support for, the group, with potential penalties of up to 14 years in prison, putting it on a par with the ISIS or al-Qaeda terrorist groups.
Then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said at the time that the group “passed the threshold for proscription based on clear national security evidence and assessments.”
“The right to protest and the right to free speech are the cornerstone of our democracy and there are countless campaign groups that freely exercise those rights,” Cooper said. “Violence and serious criminal damage has no place in legitimate protests.”
Thousands of people have since been arrested for holding signs and placards in support of the group.
Cofounded by Palestinian Iraqi Huda Ammori and Extinction Rebellion’s Richard Barnard, the group calls itself a “direct action network dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid.”
The group has been linked with a campaign against Elbit Systems, a major supplier to the UK Ministry of Defense and one of Israel’s largest defense contractors.
The UK Home Office said last year that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action followed the group’s “orchestration and enaction of aggressive and intimidatory attacks against businesses, institutions and the public.”
“These include attacks at Thales in Glasgow … Instro Precision in Kent and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol,” the Home Office said at the time. “The attack on the Thales defence factory in Glasgow, caused over £1 million [about $1.4 million] worth of damage to parts essential for submarines.”
PA Media and Reuters contributed to this report.
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