LONDON, U.K.: Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was jailed in central London on December 23 for supporting pro-Palestinian activists on a hunger strike to protest their incarceration while awaiting trial on charges related to a series of earlier demonstrations.

The 22-year-old Swede was seen holding a sign in support of the hunger strikers, Prisoners for Palestine, and their organization, Palestine Action. The British government earlier this year imposed a ban on Palestine Action, calling it a terrorist organization.

In February 2024, a London court cleared Greta Thunberg of charges after she refused to obey a police order to leave a protest that blocked the entrance to a significant oil and gas conference. She has been fined several times in Sweden and the UK for acts of civil disobedience linked to protests.

In a related demonstration, two other activists sprayed red paint in front of an insurance company in the City of London, the area of central London known as the hub of Britain's financial services industry. Prisoners for Palestine claimed the insurer supports the Israel-linked defense firm Elbit Systems.

A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. A third woman was later arrested on suspicion of supporting a banned organization. British police generally do not identify suspects by their names prior to their being charged.

Eight members of Palestine Action have started a hunger strike to protest being held in jail without bail while they wait for trial. They face different charges linked to past protests across the country.

The first two people who joined the hunger strike have now gone without food for 52 days. A group called Prisoners for Palestine said their condition is now dire and that there is a real risk of death.

The British government has refused to intervene, stating that decisions about bail and detention are a matter for the courts, and not the government.