Belfast Demonstrates in Support of Palestine Hunger Strikers as Memories of 1981 Resurface

Hundreds of people gathered in Belfast on New Year’s Eve to show solidarity with four pro‑Palestinian activists on hunger strike in British prisons, as the city’s murals and recent political history framed the protest.

The demonstration followed calls from supporters of the activists, who are affiliated with the group Palestine Action and are being held on remand while awaiting trial. Campaigners say legal avenues have been exhausted and that the hunger strike has become a last resort as the detainees’ health deteriorates.

Along the Falls Road, murals that document Irish republican history now sit beside images and poems connected to Palestine. The so‑called International Wall has acquired new sections dedicated to the Palestinian cause, including lines by the late Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in December 2023. New words painted on the walls read: “Blessed are those who hunger for justice.”

Local painting and mural work has incorporated images sent by Palestinian artists. Names of the four activists on hunger strike were added to the city’s longstanding political artwork, linking the current protest to Belfast’s legacy of political activism.

Trade unionist Patricia McKeown, who addressed the crowd, said: “This is not a city that will ever accept any attempt to silence our voice or our right to protest or our right to stand up for human rights.” She described the detainees as being held in “ridiculous conditions” and defended the protesters’ decision to use a hunger strike to express their views.

The four detainees are said by campaigners to be on hunger strike to demand several actions. Their stated demands include:

• release on bail;
• an end to alleged interference with their mail and reading materials;
• access to a fair trial; and
• the de‑proscription of Palestine Action.

Campaigners point to the group’s ban under British law: in July, the UK government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer proscribed Palestine Action under an anti‑terrorism statute.

The activists are being held over alleged involvement in break‑ins at the UK subsidiary of Elbit Systems in Filton, near Bristol, where equipment was reportedly damaged, and at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire, where two military aircraft were sprayed with red paint. The prisoners deny the charges, which include burglary and violent disorder.

Campaigners have reported the length of the strike for each detainee. Heba Muraisi is said to be on day 61 without food; Teuta Hoxha on day 55; Kamran Ahmed on day 54; and Lewie Chiaramello on day 41. Hoxha and Ahmed have already been hospitalised, according to supporters. Organisers and advocates describe it as the largest hunger strike in Britain since 1981 and say it is explicitly inspired by the Irish hunger strikes of that year.

The 1981 hunger strikes involved Irish republican prisoners seeking the restoration of political status. Ten men died in the course of the protest, including Bobby Sands, who was elected to the British parliament during the strike. Public comment from the then British government was uncompromising, but officials ultimately sought an exit as public opinion shifted. The source material recalls the sequence of deaths in 1981: Martin Hurson died on his 46th day; Raymond McCreesh, Francis Hughes, Michael Devine and Joe McDonnell died between days 59 and 61; Bobby Sands died after 66 days.

Sue Pentel of Jews for Palestine Ireland, reflecting on that period, said: “I was here during the hunger strike. I went through the hunger strikes, marched, demonstrated, held meetings, protested, so I remember the callous brutality of the British government letting 10 hungers die.” She recalled the words of Bobby Sands and connected them to the current generation standing in solidarity with Palestine.

Former hunger striker Pat Sheehan, now an MLA for Sinn Féin, warned of the physical danger to those who continue the protest. Having spent 55 days on a hunger strike in 1981, he said: “Once you pass 40 days, you’re entering the danger zone… I think if it continues, inevitably some of the hunger strikers are going to die.” He described symptoms he experienced, including severe liver failure, vision loss and constant vomiting.

Protesters in Belfast emphasised that their demonstration was motivated by humanitarian concern rather than narrow national identity. Damien Quinn, a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, said hunger strikes carry special weight in Ireland and accused authorities of failing to respond adequately to the detainees’ claims. Rita Aburahma, a Palestinian resident of Belfast, described the hunger strikers as “really brave” and said solidarity was vital for people in Palestine who cannot speak freely.

The Gaza conflict has reshaped political debates across Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland formally recognised the state of Palestine in 2024 and joined South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice alleging genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The Irish government has also taken measures to restrict the sale of Israeli bonds, boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, and called for sporting measures against Israel. Nevertheless, campaigners argue that measures such as the Occupied Territories Bill, which would ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, have been stalled since 2018, and they criticise continued access for US military aircraft transporting weapons through Shannon Airport.

In Northern Ireland, the war in Gaza has influenced domestic politics, prompting controversy over official trips and flag displays and contributing to heightened tensions between unionist and nationalist communities. Protesters in Belfast, however, framed their action as an appeal to universal human rights and a demand for urgent government intervention to address the health and legal plight of the hunger strikers.

Key Topics

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