Prisoner support letter writing and social evening

Greek democracy in action right now

This Wednesday 9 December sees our last monthly public letter-writing session of the year, and it’ll be a social too – with food and hot drinks, plenty of time to chat, find out more about supporting political prisoners, and we hope to round off with a 30 minute dvd of anarchic comedy.

Fighting back in Athens 6/12/09

If you would like to show your solidarity with political prisoners in a very simple way, by writing a short card or letter of solidarity, then do come along. The event will run from 7pm for a few hours, at Kebele social centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Easton, Bristol BS5 6JY.

This time of year is difficult for political prisoners, indeed all prisoners, locked away miles from family and friends, so we’ll be sending them solidarity greetings for the winter solstice and new year 2010. We have lists of prisoners in the UK and abroad requesting support, along with cards/envelopes and such like, or bring your own. We will be joined by friends from the Bristol anaimal rights coalition, who will be focusing on the large numbers of prisoners locked up for defending animals’ rights.

Urgent updates:

Elijah (James) Smith

One of the Bristol EDO Decommissioners awaiting trial is still on remand after nearly 11 months, and has recently been moved. Write to Elijah (James) Smith, VP 7551, HMP Lewes, 1 Brighton Rd, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1EA

Greece – the situation there is critical, with over 800 detained this last weekend amidst very heavy state repression and police violence, and many hundreds injured. At the very least please protest to the Greek Embassy in London (go to contacts page), or in any other way you feel appropriate. We have contact details for a few prisoners in Greece. For upto date reports, photos and videos from Greece see Occupied London Blog and LibCom News.

Solidarity

Bristol EDO Decommissioner 10 months on remand

10 months ago yesterday, on 18 January 2009, Elijah (James) Smith and 5 other anti-militarists from Bristol were arrested in Brighton. They had spent the previous night decommissioning the EDO/MBM/ITT factory in Brighton, in an attempt to stop it providing parts for weapons being used by the Israeli army to bomb civilians in Gaza. Nobody was injured or harassed during their action, which was one of property damage/sabotage. They did not resist arrest.

Exactly 10 months on and Elijah Smith is still on remand. Yes thats right – 10 months in prison without trial. And it looks as if he is likely to remain in prison until the trial actually starts, probably on 17 May 2010, by which time he’ll have spent 16 months on remand. British justice?

Elijah is currently at Bristol prison, please write to him in solidarity: Elijah Smith VP7551, HMP Bristol, 19 Cambridge Rd, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 8PS

Charges dropped against Swedish activists and anti-fascists

But 2 remain on remand

We got the following news from Stockholm ABC on 13 November: Yesterday, eight of Fittja 10 were released and met with a spontaneous party. We’re glad they’re out again, while continuing to organize the solidarity work for the two who remain incarcerated.

During the preliminary statutory hearing held today, the restrictions for the two were lifted and one of the charges (preparing an arson) dropped for one of them.

4STRUGGLE issue 14 available now on-line

http://bristolabc.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/4sm14collated.pdf

Toronto ABCF is proud to announce that Issue 14 of 4strugglemag is now online!
Check it out at www.4strugglemag.org.

Help keep this project going! Paper copies of each issue are sent to over 200 prisoners, at no cost to them. Get a “solidarity subscription” – one full year of issues for yourself AND for a prisoner for only $30. Or, make a one-time donation to subsidize the costs of photocopying and postage. Donate online or contact us at torontoabcf@gmail.com.

Why prisoner support is important

Prisoner support should be an essential facet of any anarchist’s political activities; yet our prisoner support groups attract so little actual support from our fellow anarchists. Why is this?

The following article has been written by comrades from Brighton ABC, with input from other anarchists including us here in Bristol. The article is due to appear in the special issue of Freedom newspaper to be given out at the London Anarchist Bookfair on 24 October 2009. We think its well worth circulating far more widely….

Why Prisoner Support?
Prisoner support should be an essential facet of any anarchist’s political activities; yet our prisoner support groups attract so little support from our fellow anarchists. Why is this?

Of course, it is natural for us to support someone we are close to, friends and family or even a comrade from ones affinity group, when they are banged up. Yet why do so few anarchists support comrades from within the wider movement, let alone prisoners in general? Mutual aid and solidarity are surely a central tenet of the anarchist ‘belief system’, one brick that any anarchist society should be built upon, yet it is something that often doesn’t extend beyond one’s immediate environment (family/friends/affinity group).

Remanded Bristol EDO Decommissioner in court frenzy

The last remaining Bristol EDO Decommissioner on remand, Elijah (James) Smith, is in the midst of a frenzy of court activity these current few weeks. Indeed the court appearances for a variety of cases is hard to keep up with. In fact, we think it’d make far more sense to just let the guy out and write-off all the cases, doesn’t our injustice system have better things to waste their money on? Like corrupt politicians, or murdering arms corporations? Obviously not in this class society!

Spanish prisoner on hungerstrike for 88 days

Amadeu Casellas is a Spanish anarchist who has been in prison for over 25 years, thats 5 more than the Spanish legal maximum to be in prison, and 5 more than his original maximum sentence. His ‘crimes’ all relate to expropriation, the robbing of banks to fund the workers and other social movements in the late 1970’s, just after the death of the fascist dictator Franco and the end of his regime – a regime that stole the funds and property of countless Spanish trade unions and individuals, as well as murdering many of its people.

Prisoner support letter-writing night and social

with a focus on anti-fascist prisoners this month

Bristol ABC’s regular monthly letter-writing night at Kebele social centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Easton BS5 6JY, from 7 to 9pm. On Wednesday 14 October.

Prisoner support at the bookfair and comutiny

bookfair mural in the city centre

Bristol ABC prisoner support group will have a stall at this Saturday’s Bristol anarchist bookfair. We’ll have lots of info/advice about supporting prisoners and writing to them, along with lists of prisoners requesting to support. If you are nervous about writing to a prisoner, fear not – we’ll have postcards on the day you can use.

New resource for animal rights prisoners

A new resource and support group for animal rights prisoners has emerged recently, called quite simply ‘Animal Rights Prisoner Support’. They do exactly what it says on the tin, which is much needed because the animal rights movement has faced the full force of the state in the last few years, resulting in massive surveillance, harassment, legal action, arrests and imprisonment – with long sentences.