86 Arrested at Wormwood Scrubs in Support of Hunger-Striking Activist

London police arrested 86 protesters on Saturday evening after they breached the grounds of HMP Wormwood Scrubs in west London to support a jailed pro-Palestine activist on hunger and thirst strike. The demonstrators, who refused orders to leave, allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and exiting the facility, threatened officers, and entered a staff entrance area of a prison building, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The group gathered outside the prison to rally for 22-year-old Umer Khalid, the last remaining participant in a series of hunger strikes by activists affiliated with the pro-Palestine group Palestine Action. Khalid, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, restarted his hunger strike 16 days ago after a brief pause due to health issues. He escalated it on Saturday by refusing fluids, entering the second day of what campaigners describe as an extremely dangerous thirst strike. Khalid is awaiting trial on charges related to a June incident at RAF Brize Norton, Britain's largest airbase in Oxfordshire, where he and four others are accused of breaking in and spray-painting two Voyager refueling aircraft. The group has pleaded not guilty.