As part of the Week of Solidarity with Anarchist prisoners, we will be having a letter writing night at our usual venue, Hydra Bookshop. Come along and learn about anarchists imprisoned in the UK and abroad, and sign a card in support of libertarian struggles. See you there!
Upcoming: International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners!
For the last two years, August 23-30 has been the Week of Action for Anarchist Prisoners. Many imprisoned anarchists will never be acknowledged as ‘political prisoners’ by formal human-rights organisations, because their sense of social justice is strictly limited to the capitalist laws which are designed to defend the State and prevent any real social change. At the same time, even within our individual communities, we know so little about the repression that exists in other countries, to say nothing of the names and cases involving many of our incarcerated comrades.
We chose August 23 as a starting point, because on that very day in 1927 the Italian-American anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in prison. They were convicted of murdering two men during an armed robbery at a shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. Their arrest was a part of a bigger anti-radical campaign led by the American government. The State’s evidence against the two was almost totally non-existent and many people still today believe that they were punished for their strong anarchist beliefs.
Therefore, we call on Anarchists and those fighting against the state to remember those inside by dedicating an action or an infonight to them, or simply by writing a letter.
Please send reports of your activities to tillallarefree (A) riseup.net
Featherstone prison: Week of disorder as screws attacked and ‘multiple’ fires
Prisoners at a West Midlands prison have assaulted staff and started “multiple” fires in a week-long outbreak of disorder. A major incident was declared at Featherstone Prison on Thursday as riot police were drafted in to deal with the trouble, which also included a hostage situation. An extra 20 screws have now been called in to maintain order at the category C prison near Wolverhampton.
An inmate at the jail, which holds more than 600 prisoners and said the disorder started following a fight in one of the prisoner accommodation blocks. The fight could not be brought under control and screws had to call in reinforcements. He claimed three people were taken to hospital on Tuesday after further trouble, and screws were assaulted on Wednesday when they attempted to move some inmates to another block. Prisoners set fire to cells on Thursday and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service sent two crews to the jail.
(reposted from Fire on the Horizon)
Zine about the anarchists recently arrested in Warsaw
(reposted from wawa3.noblogs.org)
On the night of May 23rd, the police in Warsaw arrested three anarchists on charges of an alleged arson attempt of a police vehicle. The three were transferred to a remand prison where they are to be held in custody for three months, awaiting trial. They face up to 8 years in prison. Media frenzy broke out over the arrest in the past few days, with high-ranking politicians and experts on terrorism discussing the matter on TV. Photos and video reruns of the arrested walking with chains around their feet and hands are broadcast on public transportation. The text below is a translation of the statement that was sent out by various groups from the anarchist and wider social justice community in Poland, in response to these arrests.
Fanzine-EN
MARTIN HAS A BIRTHDAY
On August 10th Martin will celebrate his already 2nd Birthday behind the bars. You can greet him by making noise behind the wall, sending a letter or any other way you like. Bellow, there is Martin’s address and bank connection.
In these uneasy times we wish him all the best and sending solidarity greetings.
Martinova adresa / Martin’s address:
Martin Ignačák 10.8.1986
V.V. Praha – Pankrác
P.O.BOX – 5
Praha 4
140 57
Bankovní kontakt pro ČR (pouze):
Číslo bankovního účtu: 6015-30929881
Kód banky: 0710
Variabilní symbol: 378100886
Specifický symbol: 5296220101
Ve zprávě pro příjemce nutno uvést: Martin Ignačák 10.8.1986
Bank address of Anarchist Black Cross:
8760190237/0100
IBAN CZ98 0100 0000 0087 6019 0237
SWIFT CODE: KOMBCZPPXXX (KOMBCZPP)
(originally posted at antifenix.noblogs.org, also see Antifenix 2016 update)
IGOR’S SENTENCING – “BANNED FROM BEING AN ANARCHIST”
Yesterday the appeal court hearing took place in the High Court in Prague. Russian, vegan, straight-edge anarchist Igor Ševcov, who was appealing his sentence – a 2 year expulsion from the Czech Republic for video recording someone else graffitiing prison walls during a support demonstration (complicity to criminal damage) – was given a new sentence.
The judgement remained the same – the high court still finds him complicit in criminal damage, but the judge changed the penalty. The new sentence: Igor is banned from attending any sporting or cultural event or any event like a manifestation, demonstration, benefit, mobilisation, protest or any other action within the anarchist movement.
We do not know yet what it means exactly, but it’s likely that Igor will have to visit a probation office any time there is a big action, and he will be surveilled during any other event by under cover state agents and spies. If he violates his sentence he can be put behind bars for up to 3 years.
Although it seems a lot nicer than an expulsion from the country, we find this sentence disgusting and humiliating. It degrades an anarchist, or anyone who is not satisfied with a world based on hierarchy and inequality towards a self-policing individual. The path of a person who understands that every step they take is controlled most likely ends with the four walls of a prison.
The repressive system is evolving and, like any sector of the market, penetrates deeper and deeper into every level of our lives. New measures of control have been introduced in addition to prison. In these new measures, not only does prisoner manage their own detention, but an impression of nicer repression is also given. That’s one of the reasons why neoliberal democracy can work for so long.
When in a dictatorship it is very common to hate the repression and the people see the oppressor as their enemy – in a democracy the repression is painted a colour so that is it unrecognizable, or the majority side with the oppressor and see their oppression as nice and necessary.
We do not know if Igor will follow this sentence, try to oppose it legally or just follow his own agenda and feelings and see what happens in the future. In any case, he has our full support.
If you want to support Igor, rather than congratulating him on his “better” sentence, ask him what kind of support he needs, for he is in a very uncomfortable situation. And mostly, keep changing your environment into a world where repression, exclusion and borders are exchanged for mutual solidarity and freedom.
The struggle continues!
(originally posted on antifenix.noblogs.org)
Birmingham Prison: Riot cops sent in after stand-off on wing, a man dead
A squad of specialist prison riot cops were sent into Birmingham prison after a stand-off between prisoners and screws.
The scum multi-national G4S, which operates HM Prison Birmingham, confirmed the incident happened on Friday night but denied that it was linked to the “unexplained” death of a prisoner in a different wing earlier in the day. Cops were called to the prison at 1pm on Friday [8 July] after a prisoner was found dead in his cell on L wing.
Sources inside the prison had claimed that a number of prisoners had been involved in a protest later in the day on B wing. But scum G4S probably lying through their teeth claimed that only one person had climbed on to safety netting and added that it was not connected to the earlier death. It confirmed that specialist prison riot cops – known as a tornado squad – had been deployed to deal with the single prisoner on the netting. It said that the stand-off ended when the prisoner came down just after midnight.
(Originally posted on Fire on the Horizon)
Call for solidarity with USA prison strike on the 9th of September
On September 9th, 2016 prisoners across the United States will be conducting work stoppages, hunger strikes and other forms of action in a call to end prison slavery. The call was originated by organizers from the Free Alabama Movement. A national coalition of community groups associated with the IWW’s Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, Anarchist Black Cross chapters and others throughout the country have come together to build a national support network to push for a final end to prison slavery.
To achieve this goal, we need support from the international community. We hope that prisoner support groups in the across the globe will hold solidarity demos and inform prisoners they are in contact with about the September 9th day of action. This spring and summer will be seasons of organizing, spreading the word, building networks of solidarity and showing that we’re serious and what we’re capable of. We ask that you organize some sort of solidarity action and help spread the word to prisoners in your area. We hope that the fires of prison rebellion spread from the United States to prisons across the globe! With one unified voice of rebellion we can send a strong message to captors across the globe that the iron bars of their cage cannot contain our thirst for freedom!
Over the next month members from the Anarchist Black Cross in the United States will be traveling Europe and available to do presentations or talk with your collective if you have the time/if our itinerary has us come through your area. It would also be most helpful if folks could help us get in contact with other groups throughout Europe to spread the word and who might be interested in meeting with us while we are in their area.
Dare to Struggle
Dare to Win
Portland ABC
pdxabc.org
More info on the Sept. 9th Day of action.
supportprisonerresistance.noblogs.org/s…/
FreeAlabamaMovement.com
iwoc.noblogs.org
unityandstruggle.org/2016/05/05/incarce…/
If you or your collective are interested in meeting with us we will be in the following European cities on the following dates. We would love to do a presentation or share about the national prisoner strike with your group. If you have connections to prisoner support groups in any of the following cities it would be greatly appreciated if you could connect us!
July 6-10th: Berlin
July 10th-15: Barcelona
July 15-20th: Naples
July 20th-24: London
July 24-29th: Paris
July 29-August 6: Athens
Prisoner letter writing night, 1st July at Hydra Books
In response to the call for solidarity with Russian antifascist prisoners, Bristol ABC are holding a letter writing night, 5-7pm on the 1st of July at Hydra Bookshop, 34 Old Market. Come and learn about the situations of our imprisoned comrades in Russia, and write to them to show they’re not alone. Skill in Russian language appreciated but not essential, see you there!
