News / protest
Protesters gather outside crown court as prisoners continue hunger strike
Half a dozen protesters gathered outside Bristol Crown Court to draw attention to what they claim is the “neglect and failure to meet duty of care” by a prison where hunger striker Qesser Zuhrah is on day 46 of her hunger strike.
Zuhrah, 20, is at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey after being arrested in 2024, accused of breaking into Elbit Systems in Filton.
On Wednesday morning, protesters handed out flyers to passers-by with words on from Zuhrah, one of eight ‘prisoners for Palestine’ on a hunger strike which is the biggest in UK prisons since 1981: “Until our demands are met, we will resist. We ask our government now: are you willing to let us die before you stop arming a genocide?”
MP Zarah Sultana is among supporters currently outside HMP Bronzefield who are demanding that Zuhrah be taken immediately to hospital where she can receive an independent medical assessment.
One protester said they were at Bristol Crown Court because it “represents the the heart of the injustice in our city”.
She said: “Qesser is only 20 years old. Her vitals are extremely worrying and she is at serious risk of cardiac arrest. Despite all this, the prison staff have continued to deny her care…
“We have a duty as Bristol residents, friends and organisers to come together and show just how much of our city is run on the profit of companies such as Elbit Systems.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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