United States: New Campaign Launched to Move Long-Term Anarchist Prisoner Marie Mason out of FMC Carswell!

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via Move Marie

mariemasonAfter being sentenced to the disproportionately long prison sentence of 22 years for the actions she carried out with the Earth Liberation Front, Marie’s persecution by the government still continues. This time, it is the unjust transfer of her from a medium security prison to a high security prison at FMC Carswell.

Marie was first sentenced to prison at FCI Waseca. During her time there she taught fellow inmates to play guitar, helped with writing workshops and never received a single infraction for her behavior. Despite all of this, in 2010 she was unexpectedly transferred to FMC Waseca.

Her life at Waseca has been dramatically different. Outside of Fort Worth, TX Marie is over a thousand miles away from her friends and family in Michigan. She has no access to the prison’s general population. Instead, she is confined to the 20 woman prison block she is a part of. Her communication with the outside is under close scrutiny, further restricted, and mail correspondence between her and others is routinely delayed or lost.

When pressed to explain the transfer, the BOP has refused to provide an answer or hearing.

This is a clear attempt once again by the government to go after individuals for their political beliefs. They’ve already sentenced her to the longest prison sentence of any environmental activist, now they’ve made it their commitment to isolate her and restrict her movement as much as possible without due process.

This campaign is an effort to both move Marie to a facility closer to friends and family, as well as lift the unjust restrictions being placed on her within prison. It is also a campaign to highlight the extreme injustice of Marie’s case in general, as well as the way the criminal justice system continues to use isolation and increased restriction as a means of punishment against political prisoners, politicized prisoners, and the prison population in general.

We will use grassroots organizing, creative media interventions, and coalition building to get Marie moved, raise up the cause of political prisoners, and further the movement towards prison abolition.

We invite you to join us in this campaign.

Move Marie, Free Marie, Free All Political Prisoners

Greece: Anti-Fascist Rapper Stabbed to Death by 25 Neo-Nazis

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via LibCom.org

Greece: Anti-fascist rapper and metal worker was stabbed to death by 25 neonazis on the night of Tuesday 17 September in the Keratsini area of Piraeus.

killahpPavlos Fyssas, a 34 year old antifascist and hip hop artist (Killah P), was murdered by Golden Dawn neonazis in Keratsini, a working class neighborhood in Piraeus.

From eye-witness report: “Around 24:00 a group of 15-20 fascists, wearing black t-shirts and military pants and boots, was deployed on P. Tsaldari street. During that time, Killah P was walking with his girlfriend and another couple when he was spotted by the fascists shouting “what are you looking for here, you know there is no place for you in this hood”. The fascists hunted the two couples down P. Tsaldari street towards Gr. Lampraki avenue, where from another street, a new group of around 10 fascists came out and surrounded the guys. At that time, a car drove opposite in an one-way street, stopped, the driver came out and stabbed Killah P once in the heart and once in the abdomen (the stabbing on his abdomen had an upside-down “L” shape).

The whole scene took place in the presence of DIAS motorbike police, that only afterwards and only as soon as most of the fascists had already dispersed, arrested the murderer (according to some witnesses Killah P while still in shock kept pointing at the murderer and this is how the cops arrested him – a 55year old holding a knife, described by other eye-witnesses as a known Golden Down associate). The ambulance took 35 minutes to approach and Pavlos was pronounced dead at Nikaia general hospital.”

A call for a gathering on the spot of his assassination was made for today, Wednesday 18:00, on 60, P. Tsaldari street (from Athens, via public bus B18 from Ralli-Salaminas, or Γ18 from Gr. Lampraki, from Piraeus via public bus 824 or 826). There are also calls for demonstrations in Thessaloniki: 10:00 in the teachers demo, 16:00 in Physics dept. in AUTH university campus, 18:00 demonstration from “Kamara” on Egnatia street. In Mytilene, Lesbos island, 18:00 on Sappho square, in Patras, 10:00 on Olga square, in Larissa 10:00 in the 1rst Lyceum and 10:30 in the teachers’ demo, in Komotini and many other towns there also demos on 18:00.

It is hardly surprising that the Greek police once again did nothing to prevent Golden Dawn nazi violence (Golden Dawn is largely supported by the Greek capitalists, the government and the church, as a willful thug against militants, workers and the poor, and more than half of the police vote for this openly neonazi party) if not actively participating in or covering the organisation of what looks as a death trap for a well-known radical, member of the metalworkers union and antifa hip-hop artist in a working class district, near the spot where a few days ago 8 members of the communist party (KKE) were also brutally assaulted by Golden Dawn nazis.

It is hardly surprising the silence of all the mass media, that are kept alive due to the government’s vast loans and benefits, that either decided to mention the assassination as a “fight after an argument about football” or to not mention it at all. They are the same mass media that promote every misanthropic Golden Dawn activity as an “opposition to the system’s flaws”, and lately as a realistic government partner for the future. They are of course the voice of their owners, the same few families of capitalists, owners of a shitload of shiptanks, banks and hotels that support the right-wing government and its thuggish little counterpart on the streets, the Golden Dawn, in what they see as a Golden opportunity to get rid of workers rights and turn Greece into a proper labour camp under the nationalist and religious kitsch.

It is worth noticing that this is a hard time for the government and their nazi counterparts, as even after their full scale assault on anarchists, squatters, and workers’ struggles, the movements seems to find again its momentum, with the current struggles of the teachers, the hospital workers etc.

Some additional info can be found in twitter: @antireport, #antireport, #KillahP

Inspectors Catch Bristol Prison Officer Denying Meals to Inmate

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via The Guardian

horfieldA prison officer was caught punishing an inmate by denying him food during a surprise inspection of a cockroach-infested jail.

Some staff at HMP Bristol, a mostly Victorian-era prison holding around 600 inmates, displayed “delinquent” behaviour such as using “derogatory and abusive” language, a report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) said.

The most striking was the “arbitrary punishment” of a prisoner who was locked up all day and prevented from having his full meals by a staff member. The officer was swiftly disciplined by the prison once it heard of the punishment.

Fewer prisoners than at similar prisons said staff treated them with respect, and this was even worse for black and minority ethnic and foreign national prisoners, the inspection found. The number of recorded bullying incidents was more than double that at similar prisons.

According to the report much of the prison was dirty and poorly equipped. It said: “Cells designed for one continued to hold two prisoners and many cells had damaged lockers, damaged and scaled toilets and broken and/or missing windows.

“Prisoners repeatedly complained of an infestation of cockroaches and we saw many cells in which prisoners had used toothpaste and paper as a makeshift sealant for gaps around sanitary units and airbricks to prevent the ingress of cockroaches.”

Inmates could not get enough clean clothes or clothes that fitted, adequate bedding or cleaning materials, the inspection found, while significant numbers of prisoners reported it was easy to get drugs in the prison or they had developed a problem while there.

The report found the turnover of prisoners was very high with more than 70% of inmates staying for less than three months. It said the closure of nearby Gloucester prison had made the position worse.

It said that during the working day it was normal to find about half the prison’s population locked in their cells. “There was only enough work, training or activity for about two-thirds of the population, but even this was not used efficiently with much unoccupied,” the inspectors found.

Of the 577 prisoners held at the time of the inspection in May, 261 had declared some form of disability on arrival. The report said: “We were not confident that all prisoners with a disability had been identified. In our survey, prisoners who identified themselves as having a disability reported more negatively than other prisoners about victimisation and feeling safe.”

There were 43 prisoners over the age of 50, the oldest being 87. “There was no formal provision of activities for older prisoners or those with a disability.”

At the last inspection in 2010, inspectors noted improvements and described a well-led prison with a “clear sense of direction” but found this progress had not been sustained.

The chief inspector of prisons, Nick Hardwick, said: “A sense of drift had returned to the prison. Some useful work was being done to help manage offending risk and to reintegrate prisoners at the conclusion of their sentences.

“But the experience of prisoners was poor. The priorities we identified included improving the environment, improving staff culture and ensuring prisoners have something useful to do that will equip them for the future.”

The Prison Reform Trust director, Juliet Lyon, said: “This report is a serious wake-up call for Bristol prison, struggling to deal with very poor conditions and the drag anchor of unprofessional behaviour and the unacceptable attitudes of some staff.”

Belarus: Anarchist Political Prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich Released!

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via Autonomous Action/Moscow ABC

belarusHe will be under police supervision for 6 months after the release.

Aliaksandr Frantskevich, who served his term in correctional colony No. 22 in Ivatsevichy, was released early in the morningof 3rd of September. His mother and activists of opposition organisation met him outside the prison. He will go to Navapolatsk to register with the police.

Frantskevich was arrested in connection with the “anarchist case” on September 3, 2010.Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dziadok and him were tried in the Zavadski distirict court on May 27, 2011.

The activist was charged with violating part 2 of article 351 of the Criminal Code (deliberate destruction of computer information) and part 2 of article 339 (hooliganism). He was charged with carrying out attacks on government buildings and hacking the website of the Navapolatsk city executive committee. He pleaded not guilty at the trial.

Frantskevich was sentenced to 3 years in a medium security correctional colony. Belarusian human rights defenders declared him a political prisoner in September 2011. The activists served his term in correctional colony No. 22 in Ivatsevichy.

Source

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Hundreds of Anti-Fascists Arrested at EDL March in Tower Hamlets

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via LibCom.org

afn2Nearly 300 anti-fascists were arrested on Saturday following attempts to prevent the far-right English Defence League (EDL) from marching in the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

Police revealed 286 people, the vast majority anti-fascists, were arrested for allegedly breaching conditions placed on the protests. Among those arrested were passers-by, legal observers and journalists.

In the week before the march police imposed conditions under Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act restricting the areas in which protests could take place, promising breaches would be “dealt with robustly.”

On Saturday morning several thousand local residents and anti-fascists gathered in Altab Ali Park to listen to speeches from politicians and self-appointed community leaders before a bloc of around 700 organised by the Anti-Fascist Network (AFN) started to move towards the EDL.

Between 500-600 members of the EDL had gathered on the south side of Tower Bridge before crossing the bridge, entering the borough of Tower Hamlets and heading towards Aldgate for a rally.

acabOnly around 100 of the AFN bloc came within sight of the EDL before being kettled, providing the only visible opposition to the far-right group on the day. Police reacted quickly to the bloc by attempting to throw up several cordons, eventually dispersing the crowd and forming a kettle on Commercial Street.

After the EDL had been marched back over Tower Bridge police began making mass arrests, arresting everybody in the two kettles and moving them onto buses leased from Hertfordshire-based bus company Sullivan’s Buses and travel firm Stagecoach.

Arrestees were ferried to several outer-London police stations were they were processed and bailed with conditions preventing them from demonstrating against the EDL, British National Party and English Volunteer Force within the M25.

Support for arrestees who were predominantly met at police stations with food and beer was provided by Green & Black Cross, Legal Defence and Monitoring Group among others.

Unite Against Fascism claimed the day was a victory.

Political Prisoner Birthday Poster For September 2013 Is Now Available

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via Prison Books

Hello Friends and Comrades,

1) Here is the political prisoner birthday poster for September. As always, please post this poster publicly and/or use it to start a card writing night of your own.

Some News And Updates:

2) The campaign to have Earth Liberation Front prisoner Marie  Mason moved from her special isolation unit is underway! Please write a letter today. You can download the “Move Marie” here: trifold color brochure  The text version and a sample letter are available here.

3) Brother Abdullah is in debilitating pain and unable to walk without assistance, due to an acute case of sciatica. Abdullah has suffered in this state for over two weeks and has, to no avail, submitted to all prison procedures, which are required in order to get medical attention, namely the “sick-call process.”

We are asking that you call the superintendent at Elmira Correctional Facility and demand that Abdullah Majid get immediate and proper medical attention. More Info here.

Please call:
Superintendent Paul Chappius
607-734-3901
Regarding the prison’s negligence as concerns the health and well-being of
Abdullah Majid
DIN # 83-A-0483

4) Mark “Migs” Neiweem of the NATO 5 has been in solitary for over a month.
Please send him letters and photos (printed on plain computer paper) to give him something to look at in his cramped cell. More info here.

Mark Neiweem
M36200
Pontiac Correctional Center
PO Box 99
Pontiac, IL 61764

5) Sean Swain, whose birthday is this month, recently released a beautiful piece of writing about resistance on the inside. You can find it here.

6) The CA prison hunger strike is entering its eighth week. It’s important that people keep putting the pressure on with phone calls and emailsprotests, and attacks. Updates and background on the strike here.

7) Lastly, here is a link to the latest Political Prisoner/Prisoner Of War every-other week update by the  NYC-Anarchist Black Cross. There are lots of important updates on many political prisoners.

Until Every Cage Is Empty,

The Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective

United States: Two Activists Arrested with “Burglary Tools” in Rural Illinois

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via Animal Liberation Frontline

Animal rights activists held in jail for allegedly possessing wire cutters.

KevinTyler111Los Angeles animal rights activists Kevin Olliff and Tyler Lang have been arrested in rural Illinois, charged with felony “possession of burglary tools.”

These are the facts of the case that are known right now:

The two were pulled over late at night in Roanoke, Illinois in what appears to be a routine traffic stop. When they refused consent to a search of the vehicle, the police searched the vehicle anyway. Inside, police allege they found bolt cutters, wire cutters, muriatic acid, ski masks, and cammo clothing.

Kevin Olliff and Tyler Lang were subsequently arrested for “possession of burglary tools.”  The police have not made any statement as to what they believe the intended “burglary” target was, and Kevin & Tyler were not arrested on anyone’s property. Their history as activists appears to be the sole basis for the charges.

Their new support site cautions that details on the arrest are still emerging :

“Many details are not known, and there are some we cannot post publicly yet.”

They face a maximum of 3 years in prison.

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Greece: Police End Riot at Migrant Detention Camp

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via BBC News

bbcnewsGreek riot police have been deployed to end a riot at a migrant detention facility north of the capital, Athens.

Detainees threw stones at the police guards, injuring at least 10 of them, and set fire to their bedding in what police called an “unprovoked” attack.

The rioting began when the detainees were informed that the maximum time they could be held at the facility had been extended from a year to 18 months.

Some 1,500 are kept under guard at the Amygdaleza “closed hospitality centre”.

It is one of several facilities set up since last year by the Greek authorities to repatriate the thousands of undocumented migrants in the country.

Human rights groups say migrants have been subjected to abuse by guards at the camps, and that they have been denied proper healthcare.

Last week, Muslim detainees were beaten during prayers, while an Afghan detainee died in July of an infection that had been ignored by months, according to the leftist KEERFA movement.

It is thought that up to 95% of undocumented migrants entering the European Union arrive via Greece, and because border controls make it hard to continue into the rest of Europe, many end up stuck there.

Russia: Anarchist Anti-Fascists from Kazan, Russia Need Your Solidarity

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via Autonomous Action/Moscow ABC

kazannakleiky

Four anarchist anti-fascists from Kazan, Oleg KapustyanovRuslan RostovTimur Dornonin and Artyom Sher are currently in remand prison. Fifth suspect, Dmitri Ilichev is under traveling restrictions. Goal of the imprisonment is to pressure them to plea guilty.

Universiade, Nazis and police

This year Universiade, international competition of the university sports, which finished 17th of July, was organized in Kazan. For the mainstream media, this was a merry and long waited sports event. But for inhabitants of Kazan, it was a torture, and for social activists of the city, it was a plain hell.

And the hell began 3th of April, when officers of Kazan «E-Center» (Center of Counteraction against Extremism») searched homes of four anarchist anti-fascist students — Dmitri Ilichev, Oleg Kapustyanov, Ruslan Rostov and Artyom Sher. All four were arrested. Only in the police station they were told that they were suspected of having taken part to a fight which took place one month before.

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Message from Lynne July 25

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Lynne Stewart is currently quite ill with cancer and is being help in a U$ gulag as a political prisoner.

Here is a recent statement from her:

7/25/13

To All:

By Now we will have filed papers which take us back into Federal Court in New York City to request that Judge Koeltl overturn the barbaric decision by the Bureau of Prisons and allow me to leave this empty loveless Prison and go home to People and Places familiar and beloved. I certainly am sick enough–even my oncologist revised her prognosis down to 18 months now. Read More