The lives of eight political prisoners in the UK are on a knife-edge and no one is talking about it. What the actual fuck is going on. Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello, Muhammed Umer Khalid. Eight human beings, held without trial for over a year, are on hunger strike across the UK, some of them for 39 days now. This week there have been protests across the country demanding that the government finally listen to their demands. On Wednesday 10th December I was outside the BBC at the Leeds demo.
Tumbleweed on Fleet St…
It’s absolutely wild, mainstream media has totally ignored this; literally until the last couple of days. To be fair to the BBC, I guess it gets hard to ignore this shit when it’s literally on your front doorstep.
A couple of folks at the front of the BBC offered me a flyer when I went past the main entrance just after five. They were there to catch some of the staff as they came out and try to spread awareness.
Leeds demo outside BBC Yorkshire
A small crowd had assembled down on the street. The police had sent a couple of officers to observe the Leeds demo; there were a couple of auditors too.
The Yorkshire Drummers 4 Palestine turned up before long — I hadn’t met these guys before but turns out they are much like their compatriots in Manchester & Sheffield. The night always feels a little bit brighter with the drums going, and these guys are loud as fuck.
There was a solid gathering by the time half five rolled round — it was peaceful and everyone was in good spirits. At one point, a hooded figure arrived, circled the speaker, and suddenly tried to steal the microphone at the Leeds demo. The crowd reacted and the unwelcome guest ambled away, pursued by members of the gathering. The police were happy to watch him walk off unchallenged. It was such a stark juxtaposition to the way I’ve watched the police operate towards left-wing activists. I do not believe any officer would stand and watch what basically amounts to an attempted theft, in the street and under their nose, if the perpetrator was a left-wing protestor. Not without reacting in some way.
Fuck the police — Leeds demo
The way that this system treats left wing activists is the heart of the matter. That’s why we are out here on the street. These activists aren’t on hunger strike for shits and giggles—their demands aren’t even all that grand.
Prisoners allege that the MOJ is censoring their communications with the outisde world. They are demanding that they are given immediate bail after being held on remand for nearly two years without trial — a clear abuse of power. Finally, until the government releases all the communications between themselves and the various stakeholders, the hunger strikers argue it is not possible to have a fair trial.
A broken system
The judicial system is weaponised to make examples of those on the left constantly. Trial by judge, not jury; standard defences becoming inadmissible suddenly. And it’s not just the implementation of the law—it’s the law itself. Think about the slew of legislation over the last decade that’s been aimed at stifling dissent. Legislation that’s been rolled out and used predominantly against left-wing activists. People being arrested for sitting in a Zoom call? Literal thought crime.
This didn’t start with someone sitting on the roof of a factory. This is the thick end of a wedge finally gathering purchase. The systemic undermining of the rights of the left has been materialising around us for years now. The mainstream media stands right behind it, complicit in their collective silence. By labelling conscientious objectors as threats to the status quo they continue to perpetuate bias throughout a justice system that’s weighted in their favour. They want people to just get on with their lives; to take the path of least resistance. Look the other way.
Here at the Canary, we stand behind the hunger strikers, looking square at the coming horizon.
What about you?
Featured image via Barold
By Barold
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