An Insulate Britain protester who has been on hunger strike in jail for nearly two weeks has been taken to hospital.

Emma Smart, 44, was moved to the hospital wing at Surrey’s HMP Bronzefield on Friday, according to the campaign group.

She was jailed for four months earlier in November for breaching an injunction – and immediately vowed to stop eating until the Government moves to insulate homes.

Ms Smart’s husband, Andy Smith, said she is ‘feeling a bit weak but she’s still in good spirits’ at the Ashford prison, where she has not had food for 13 days.

In a statement released by Insulate Britain, Ms 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.

‘All 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.’

Members of the campaign group – who have been blocking roads in a controversial environmental campaign which has infuriated motorists – say they will stage a 24-hour fast outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday morning in solidarity with her.

Ms Smart’s husband will be among them.

The 45-year-old said: ‘She is feeling a bit weak but she’s still in good spirits.

‘I think a hunger strike is about 80% mental (strength) so as long as she’s doing OK mentally I think she’ll probably continue on her hunger strike until the Government make a meaningful statement as to whether they’re going to insulate the homes of Britain or not.’

Mr Smith said his wife had been relocated to the hospital wing so that prison staff could more easily monitor her health.

‘I last spoke to her yesterday but she’s recently had her telephone rights revoked so it’s increasingly difficult to speak to her,’ he explained, adding that it was not clear why the prison had taken the step.

He continued: ‘It is quite difficult, but (we are) also aware that other things are difficult.

‘We’ve made difficult decisions throughout the last three years. We didn’t step lightly into making decisions to be arrested, we didn’t step lightly into making decisions not to have any children…

‘There’s clearly a lot of inaction coming from our Government, they’re not taking the steps that are needed to combat the climate crisis that we’re in, and they would rather just chuck people in prison than actually face up and deal with those problems.’

Ms Smart is one of nine activists jailed for breaching an injunction designed to prevent Insulate Britain from blocking traffic.

They appeared at the High Court on November 17 having admitted to breaching an injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 during the morning rush hour of October 8.

They received sentences of between three and six months and were ordered to pay £5,000 in costs each.

A further nine Insulate Britain protesters are to appear at the High Court on December 14 to face a charge of contempt of court.

The group initially began a wave of protests in September, with demonstrators blocking the M25, roads in London – including around Parliament – Birmingham, Manchester and around the Port of Dover in Kent.

Videos showing furious motorists dragging the climate activists away from the blockades have gone viral on a number of occasions, while the then leader of the Green Party added to criticism from across the political spectrum in an interview for Metro.co.uk.

As well as demanding more action on the environmental emergency, the group wants the Government to insulate Britain’s ‘leaky homes’ and end deaths it says are caused by winter fuel shortages.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article