Thunberg Detained at Protest in Support of Palestine Action Hunger Strikers

December 23, 2025 News
Thunberg was arrested on Tuesday under the UK Terrorism Act at a London protest in support of Palestine Action activists. (Photo: video grab)

The protest came amid rising criticism of the government over the state of six detainees linked to the banned group Palestine Action, who have been on a hunger strike since November.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was arrested on Tuesday under the UK Terrorism Act at a London protest in support of Palestine Action activists who are on a hunger strike.

In video footage shared on social media, the 22-year-old activist is seen holding a placard that reads: “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide” before being arrested.

The arrest occurred outside the offices of Aspen Insurance, which reportedly provides services to Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems.

‘Arrested for Displaying an Item’

Thunberg “has been arrested for displaying an item (in this case a placard) in support of a proscribed organisation (in this case Palestine Action) contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000,” the City of London Police said in a statement on X.

Two others were also detained “on suspicion of criminal damage” after “hammers and red paint were used to damage a building on Fenchurch Street,” the statement added.

The protesters had sprayed red paint over the front of the building before being detained, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Hunger Strikers Hospitalized

The protest came amid rising criticism of the government over the state of six detainees linked to the banned group Palestine Action, who have been on a hunger strike since November.

UK Government Slammed as Palestine Action Hunger Strikers’ Condition Worsens

Two of the hunger strikers have been hospitalized, adding to fears that the strike could prove fatal. This has prompted MPs and lawyers to raise concerns over prison health care and government inaction.

Call to Prisons’ Inspectorate

Jeremy Corbyn, one of several members of parliament calling for government intervention, has urged the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, to step in as pressure mounts over the prisoners’ condition.

Corbyn said on X: “We are alarmed by the deteriorating health of the hunger strikers — as well as the government’s failure to engage with our concerns. We have written directly to the Prisons Inspectorate regarding their medical treatment. This is an emergency. Urgent action is needed, now.”

Two of the hunger strikers have been hospitalized, adding to fears that the strike could prove fatal. This has prompted MPs and lawyers to raise concerns over prison health care and government inaction.

Government’s Refusal to Meet

Despite these growing calls, the UK government has said there were no plans for ministers to meet with representatives of the hunger strikers.

“I’m very clear, I don’t treat any prisoners any differently from any other and so that is why we will not be meeting any prisoners or their representatives because we have a justice system that is based on separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary is the cornerstone of our system, “ James Timpson Obe, Minister for Prisons, told ITV News.

Palestine Action was banned in July under the Terrorism Act after members of the group entered a Royal Air Force base and spray painted two aircraft, causing £7 million ($9.44 million) in damage, according to police. Hundreds of pro-Palestine activists have since been arrested across the UK.

Thunberg’s Arrest Criticized

Commenting on the video of Thunberg’s arrest, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, accused the UK government of covering up Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.

“To the UK government: the more people you arrest to shamefully cover up Israel’s genocide the more decent people will stand up against you in the name of human rights,” Albanese wrote. “In the end, we will all make sure that the leaders who are complicit with Israel genocide will face justice.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski also spoke out against the arrest, saying Thunberg was arrested “for holding a sign opposing genocide,” Anadolu reported.

“When peaceful protest is a crime, democracy is in deep trouble. Happening under a Labour Government,” Polanski said.

Richard Burgon, a Labour Party lawmaker, called the arrest “totally ridiculous,” adding this is yet another example of why he voted against the Palestine Action ban in Parliament.

‘Civil Liberties Deliberately Dismantled’

Zarah Sultana of the new Your Party said that Thunberg was arrested “for standing in solidarity with Palestine hunger strikers.”

Sultana criticized pensioners being “charged under terrorism legislation for holding placards opposing genocide,” as well as political prisoners being “denied due process.”

“A non-violent direct-action group proscribed for the first time in British history. Jury trials stripped away. Arabic words criminalised. Judges hand-picked by the government to oversee judicial reviews. This is what repression of the movement for Palestinian liberation looks like under a Labour government,” she stressed.

Sultana added, “Some may still not care about the genocide of the Palestinian people — or about the role Keir Starmer’s Labour government has played in enabling it through arms sales, RAF surveillance and diplomatic cover. But everyone should care that our democracy is being systematically hollowed out.”

The MP emphasized that “hard-won rights and civil liberties are being deliberately dismantled — not in the name of public safety, but to protect a genocidal apartheid state and the profit margins of weapons manufacturers. We are not going to take this anymore.

Lawyer’s Letter Sent to Lammy

The hunger strikers are calling for immediate bail, an end to what they describe as censorship of their communications, the right to a fair trial, the deproscription of Palestine Action, and the closure of Elbit Systems in the UK.

Elbit, an Israel-based defense company, produces the majority of Israel’s drone fleet and land-based military equipment and operates several factories in Britain.

On Monday, lawyers for the hunger strikers sent a legal letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy warning that the activists’ health “continues to deteriorate, such that the risk of their dying increases every day.”

An urgent meeting was requested with Lammy to discuss “the deterioration” of the activists’ health and “to discuss attempts to resolve the situation.” A response was requested within 24 hours.

(PC, Anadolu)

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