Insulate Britain protester taken to hospital on 13-day prison hunger strike
An Insulate Britain protester who has been on hunger strike in prison for 13 days is being given hospital treatment, the campaign group said.
Emma Smart was moved to the hospital wing at HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey, on Friday.
She was jailed for four months on 17 November for breaching an injunction and immediately vowed to stop eating until the government moves to insulate homes.
Hunger strike
In a statement released by Insulate Britain, Smart said:
The window of my cell in the hospital wing is blocked up and there is little natural light, in my previous cell I could see the birds and trees that line the prison fence.
I have less time to go outside in the prison yard for exercise now.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeAll of this is testing my resolve to continue, but I feel that not eating is the only thing I can do from prison to draw attention to those who will have to make the choice between heating and eating this winter.
Insulate Britain members, including Smart’s husband Andy Smith, are to stage a 24-hour fast outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday morning in solidarity with her, the group said.
More protesters facing jail
Smart is one of nine members of the group jailed for breaching an injunction designed to prevent the road blockades which have sparked anger among motorists and others affected by the protests.
They appeared at the High Court on 17 November after they admitted breaching an injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 during the morning rush hour on October 8.
They received sentences of between three and six months and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs each.
A further nine Insulate Britain protesters are to appear at the High Court on 14 December to face a charge of contempt of court.
Insulate Britain began a wave of protests in September and supporters have blocked the M25, roads in London including around Parliament, roads in Birmingham and Manchester and around the Port of Dover in Kent.
The group is demanding that the government insulate Britain’s “leaky homes” and end deaths it says are caused by winter fuel shortages.
Support us and go ad-freeWe know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
