Support the Hunger Strikers!

by New Worker correspondent

Two Palestine Action hunger-strikers on the brink of death have called off their protest but six others are still refusing to eat. The Palestine Action hunger strike began on 2nd November. The prisoners who are refusing food are: Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib who are on day 46 of hunger strike, Heba Muraisa who is on day 45, Teuta Hoxha on day 39, Kamran Ahmed on day 38 and Lewie Chiaramello on day 24. They are all refusing food as they await trial for their direct action protests in support of Palestine. 
In Parliament Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Independent Alliance bloc, was once again ignored by Starmer & Co. He told the media that “the hunger strikers are at risk of death. I asked the minister if he would do the bare minimum and meet their lawyers – a demand shared by over 50 MPs and Peers. His response? “No”. MPs laughed along. They should be ashamed of themselves”. 
Meanwhile another Corbynista MP has staged a protest outside a Surrey prison demanding urgent medical care for a hunger striker there. Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana said Qesser Zuhrah was critically ill with an immediate risk of dying after refusing food for 46 days. The MP called for an ambulance and the prisoner was transferred to hospital. Ms Zuhrah is on remand at Bronzefield jail awaiting trial on charges linked to the activities of the banned Palestine Action direct action group. 
Protesters staged a banner drop in front of the BBC office in Glasgow to call on the Corporation to end its silence regarding the pro-Palestine political prisoners on hunger strike in the UK prisons. The ‘No Pride in Genocide Glasgow’ group said they were calling on the BBC to end its silence about the hunger strikes. In a move as unsurprising as it was shameful, rather than end its silence the BBC chose to quietly remove the banner, without mentioning it or the political prisoners it supported, in its news coverage.
The silence of the BBC and most of the other bourgeois media on the hunger strikes, and the wider issue of the Starmer government’s internationally-condemned political imprisonment without trial of the ‘Filton 24’ anti-genocide activists, is part of an evident campaign of ‘omertà’ on the topic of Starmer’s campaign on activists and journalists who speak out or act against Israel’s slaughter of innocent Palestinians, many of them women and children. Despite the inclusion of many journalists, often Jewish, among his targets, the voices of the ruling class that pose as the “independent” media refuse to cover it.

Racist Christmas stunt flops

by New Worker correspondent

Last weekend little more than a thousand people turned up to hear Tommy Robinson and his kind put “Christ back in Christmas” – a far cry from the 100,000 or so who supported  Robinson’s “unite the kingdom” rally in September. Hymn sheets were handed out to the crowd while other sold England flags and Santa hats. But Rowan Williams, the retired archbishop of Canterbury, warned of the potential “weaponisation” of events, and said the Church of England must be “absolutely clear” that the true Christian message was one of compassion and welcome to all.
The man who calls himself “Tommy Robinson” – who has recently returned from a Zionist propaganda tour of Israel – is trying to introduce American-style “Christian” nationalism into the UK.  At his carol service in central London his told his followers that this involves "drawing attention to unchecked immigration and the fading of our cultural heritage". Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told the crowd he used to “hate the church” but says he met a pastor in prison who taught him about the Bible. 
Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) said “Robinson’s event got nowhere near the big numbers he predicted today. While there is absolutely no room for complacency, it shows that Tommy Robinson's momentum can be broken. Now let’s go all out to build a massive ‘Together against the far right’ demo on Saturday 28th March”.
One of the SUTR leaders, Weyman Bennett,  said, “We have to oppose fascism and what the Nazis stand for”. Slamming Robinson’s “false Christianity”, he said, “Robinson is closer to Satan than he is to Christ. Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, I was told Satan comes into the world full of lies and division.
“When they come with lies, we will stand up and resist. They told me to turn the other cheek. But I’ve run out of cheeks. I have to turn to resistance to walk the streets. 
“We have to learn from the Anti Nazi League. Nazis can’t pray and they can’t dance. They have no culture, they have no history – we have that, we are the majority
“We have to remember those lessons. That’s why I’m proud of the Together Alliance for calling the unity demonstration on 28th March. We are going to fill London”.

Stand by the hunger strikers!

 by New Worker correspondent

Demonstrators were outside Downing Street last week in a show of solidarity with the Palestine Action prisoners on hunger-strike in British jails. Eight of the 32 political prisoners for Palestine in the UK are on hunger strike – now in its fifth week. This is the largest hunger
strike since 1981, yet the mainstream media says nothing and the Government says nothing. The protest picket in Whitehall, led by the London Irish Brigade, wants a response from the British Government. They want the hunger-strikers demands met. Palestine Action told Sky News that all eight hunger strikers, who have been denied bail, are accused of offences occurring before the group was banned and will have been in prison for well over a year before they are tried. A judicial review challenge to the proscription has concluded with judges reserving their decision until a later date.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Independent Alliance bloc in Parliament, says that the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy, has rejected his invitation to meet to resolve the matter by saying "considering the ongoing proceedings, it would not be appropriate for me to meet with you to discuss the situation" while claiming that "the safety of those who live and work in our prisons remains our paramount concern".
Corbyn, who visited one of the hunger-strikers this week, describes Lammy’s refusal as “astonishing… given the extremely serious and time-sensitive nature of the situation”.
Amu Gib, one of Corbyn’s constituents, is being held at Bronzefield jail in Ashford, Surrey.
Corbyn said that Lammy’s response failed to address “the very serious allegations of inconsistent and unequal medical treatment” of the detainees and repeated his request for a meeting.
And in the House of Commons Labour MP John McDonnell criticised the lack of engagement from the government saying that the justice secretary had failed to respond to previous letters on the matter. He said "this is a matter of urgency and I would've expected at least the courtesy of some response even if he's not willing to meet us". Forty-one MPs have
signed an early day motion calling on Lammy to intervene “urgently to ensure the treatment
of the prisoners is humane”.

Boycott Coca-Cola

by New Worker correspondent

Coca-Cola's famous Christmas truck is driving around towns and cities across the country in December to spread festive cheer, but the American soft-drinks corporation has only brought pain and violence to Palestinians through its complicity in Israel's land grabs in the West Bank. That's why we're tailing and confronting the Coca-Cola truck, to expose the truth about Coke's complicity in Israel's military occupation and apartheid. 
Coca-Cola operates facilities in the illegal Atarot Industrial Zone, based on stolen Palestinian land around occupied Arab Jerusalem. Through this, Coca-Cola is providing the economic underpinning for Israel's illegal occupation and apartheid. 
Palestinians living under Israel's military occupation in the West Bank are facing an escalation of Israel's military assaults, land grabs and settler violence, with over 220 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military and settlers in 2025 alone. By operating facilities in an illegal settlement, Coca-Cola is fuelling this horrific violence. 
The call to boycott Coca-Cola is a part of the Don't Buy Apartheid campaign which asks all individuals and shops to boycott all Coke products and Israeli produce.  
By taking these two key actions, and organising in our communities to get others to do the same, we can break the ties of corporate complicity that uphold Israel's genocide, military occupation and apartheid against Palestinians. 

Palestine will be free!

by New Worker correspondent

Over a 100,000 people marched through the heart of London on Saturday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, calling for an end to Israel’s occupation and for the UK to halt arms sales to Israel. The protest was called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and its allies to demand the enforcement of the ceasefire agreement and to condemn the ongoing blockade on Gaza. The protest also called for an end to UK arms exports to Israel and highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where thousands have been affected by military operations. 
In 1977 the UN designated 29th November  as an international occasion to express support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty, and the return of refugees to the homes from which they were displaced in 1948.
Ben Jamal, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s director, said that the day was established by the UN to highlight that Palestinians “did not have their right of self-determination realised” and were living under “a system of brutal occupation”. He said the day had come to symbolise “the complete failure of the international community” to act. In 1977 there were “12,000 illegal settlers in East Jerusalem (and) the West Bank,” the figure is now “close to 750,000”.
Jamal said that granting “impunity” to Israel for “occupation and apartheid” had led “inevitably to the genocide we have all been witnessing”. He also criticised the recently passed UN Security Council resolution on Gaza, saying it “doesn’t support the implementation of international law … gives governance of Gaza to the United States and gives the Palestinian people no say in how they are to be governed”. And the Palestinian Mission to the UK in London posted a message of thanks on social media, saying “we would like to thank all the freedom-loving people in Britain for standing with us … Palestine will be free with your unwavering support and dedication”.

Prisoners for Palestine!

by New Worker correspondent

Six of the 32 political prisoners for Palestine in the UK are on hunger strike - now in its fourth week. This is the largest hunger strike since 1981, yet the bourgeois media says nothing. 

As their health deteriorates, it is fundamental we escalate with our presence.  On Tuesday campaigners  mobilised outside BBC HQ in London to demand coverage of the hunger strike campaign. BBC content gives 33 times more coverage per Israeli fatality than Palestinian. While 85 per cenrt of Israeli weapons used for genocide comes from Elbit Systems. BBC, where is your so-called non-biased reporting?

We stand with the people of Palestine, the hunger strikers and their demands, including shutting Elbit, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, down in the UK. Spread the word!

On the road to progress

Xin Changxing

by New Worker correspondent

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined businessmen, diplomats and solidarity activists for an economic briefing on the latest developments in People’s China on Monday. And the meeting room in the Bank of China in the City of London was packed to hear Xin
Changxing, a member of the  Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) give an overview on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and China’s endeavours to push high-quality development and advance high-standard opening up in the coming years. Xin, who is also the Secretary of the CPC Jiangsu provincial committee, also outlined the developments in Jiangsu, China's second largest provincial economy by GDP. It's also one of the most commercially powerful and export-oriented provinces, supported by advanced manufacturing strengths, efficient logistics, robust innovation capabilities and a deep tech talent pool. Other speakers included Zheng Zeguang the Chinese ambassador, Fang Wenjian, who is the Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce and general manager of the Bank of China London Branch, as well as Lord Sassoon the President of the China-Britain Business Council, Sir David Quarry the Group Head of Public Affairs HSBC and Peter Bennett, the Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council.

Chinese ambassador Visits Yehudi Menuhin School

by New Worker correspondent 

On 14th November the Chinese Ambassador and his wife visited the Yehudi Menuhin to meet the school’s governors and teachers as well as the Chinese students who are preparing for a life in music at this famous school in Surrey.
Founded in 1963 by the celebrated violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, the school manifests his pioneering vision for a stimulating academic environment in which musically-gifted children, of all nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds, can hone their talents. 
Zheng Zeguang was warmly received by the school’s leadership, including David Buckley the Chair of Governors, and Head of the school Robin Haskins, who provided a detailed introduction to the school’s history, educational philosophy, and its cooperation with China.
Ambassador Zheng noted that the School is renowned for its world-class teaching and rich humanistic tradition, and that it has nurtured many outstanding Chinese artists and made significant contributions to cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the UK. Since the establishment of the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao in 2022, the two schools have used music as a bridge to play a unique role in promoting youth exchanges and mutual cultural learning between the two countries. The Chinese side welcomes the Yehudi Menuhin School’s deepening engagement and co-operation with China in music education, youth exchanges, and talent development.

No arms for Nazis!

by New Worker correspondent

Protesters sent a message to Starmer outside his official residence in Downing Street on Saturday demanding an end to the British government's support for the Banderite Nazi regime in Kiev. Every day we see reports on social media of Ukrainian troops brutally murdering civilians who have refused orders to evacuate from settlements in Donbas, where they’ve have been chased out by the Russians and Donbas forces along with international volunteers. For eleven and a half years the NATO puppet Kiev junta has rained death and terror on the people of Donbas, and imposed a brutal dictatorship across the whole of Ukraine, and particularly in Kharkov, Dnipro, Zaporizhia and Kherson, and in the past three years deliberately targeted buses, trains and individual civilians and buildings in the Russian Federation.
The protesters, activists from the International Ukraine Anti Fascist Solidarity campaign, also called for the restoration of peace and freedom, and looked forward to the day when the fascist scourge was eliminated from the beautiful land of Ukraine.

Arrested for supporting Palestine Action

 by New Worker correspondent

The police arrested at least 47 supporters of the banned direct action group Palestine Action as they held a peaceful protest outside the Ministry of Justice in central London last week. Police dragged away protesters for simply carrying signs proclaiming “I support Palestine Action”. One protester screamed as she was dragged away by police: “Stop genocide in Palestine! We call on Keir Starmer to do the right thing. We want this Labour government to do the right thing”. They’re the latest of more than 2,000 arrests since Palestine Action was banned under the UK’s anti-terrorism laws, adding it to a list that includes ISIS and al-Qaeda. 

Six members of Palestine Action are on trial on charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder after they broke into a factory that produces hardware for the Israeli weapons maker Elbit Systems and used sledgehammers to destroy equipment.

Starmer to approve new Chinese embassy

by Feng Fan & Chen Qingqing

The Starmer government is reportedly preparing to approve China's long-delayed plan to build a new embassy in central London, seven years after Beijing purchased the Royal Mint Court site in 2018. 
A Chinese expert said the move could inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties if finalised, but the years-long delays expose the contradictory nature of the UK's China policy.
According to the Times on Friday Keir Starmer is expected to formally approve the "super-sized" Chinese embassy next month after being given the green light by MI5 and MI6. The Home Office and Foreign Office will not raise any formal objections to the plan, providing that appropriate "mitigations" are put in place to protect national security, the report said.
While a final decision has not been formally taken, the BBC reported that advice provided to ministers by intelligence agencies "clears the path for the controversial project to be given the go ahead". 
China has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the prolonged delays. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London earlier noted that the application complies with diplomatic practice and local regulations and procedures, and that the development scheme of the new Chinese Embassy is of high quality and has been highly recognided by local professional bodies. The UK's repeated delay in approving the application is groundless and unjustifiable.
It is an international obligation of the host country to provide support and facilitation for the construction of diplomatic premises. Both China and the UK have plans to build new embassies in each other's capitals, and both sides should facilitate each other's efforts. We once again urge the UK to demonstrate sincerity in resolving the issue and approve China's planning application at an early date, said the Embassy's spokesperson.
For a long time some British politicians and media outlets have stirred controversy around the project, claiming it could pose an "espionage risk". The BBC claimed that Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel warned the approval would "put Britain at risk". However, analysts note that such accusations are unsupported and often veer into the absurd. 
Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance & Area Studies said that if the embassy plan is approved and Starmer visits China next year as some British media reported, "new momentum" could emerge in China-UK relations.
The repeated delays reflect "deep-rooted contradictions" within Britain's China policy. "The UK asks to accelerate its own embassy project in China while indefinitely delaying China's lawful application in London – essentially politicising what should be a routine diplomatic facility issue," he said.
Recent disputes linked to spy allegations Li added, demonstrate the intensity of British domestic political maneuvering. While bilateral ties have warmed commercially, London remains cautious at the political level, seeking to maintain a "neither cold nor further deteriorating" equilibrium.
Global Times