Post European Council Meeting: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-14
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Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP), Dún Laoghaire

Some of the hunger strikers in England, who are in prison and have been designated as terrorists by the British Government because they protested against British complicity with the genocidal massacre that Israel is conducting against the Palestinian people, have now been on hunger strike for more than 70 days - they are very near death - some for more than 66 days. Whatever the Minister of State thinks about their protest or about hunger strike as a tactic, these people were acting in good conscience against what they saw as crimes against humanity and they are facing death. Has the Irish Government made any representations whatsoever to the Starmer Government? The reason they are in prison is that he has designated people who did not hurt anyone as terrorists. Starmer is not representing the views of the vast majority of English people in doing that and now young people could die as a result. Does the Government have anything to say as these people face their possible death?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-14