Eighty-six people have been arrested on suspicion of trespassing after protesters entered the grounds of a London prison in support of a pro-Palestinian hunger striker, British police confirmed on Sunday.
The protesters were supporting a prisoner from the Palestine Action group who has been on hunger strike, the Metropolitan Police said on its social media platform, X.
The group reportedly refused to leave the prison grounds late on Saturday after being ordered to do so.
According to police, the protesters disrupted prison staff from entering and exiting the site, threatened officers, and some even accessed a staff-only area within one of the prison buildings.
All individuals involved were detained by authorities, the police added.
The incident occurred at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London, where Muhammad Umer Khalid, the prisoner in question, has been on hunger strike for over two weeks, according to advocacy group Prisoners for Palestine.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice described the incident as “deeply concerning.” Palestine Action had been banned in the UK under anti-terrorism legislation, following allegations of trespassing and vandalism during previous protests.
Several members of the group, including Khalid, await trial for these charges, which they deny while calling for the accusations to be dropped.
