#KillTheBill Prisoner Support Fund

Bristol ABC has launched a crowdfunder as a call to support for people sentenced to prison after the Kill The Bill protests in Bristol in March 2021.

Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ktb-prisoner-support-fund

Update 1st April 2022 – we’ve extended our target to £60k

Thank you so much for your incredible solidarity so far!

We want to thank everyone for all the support in reaching our initial target of £30k, but unfortunately we still need your help. We’re extending our target for this crowdfunder to £60k.

We want to be able to provide £50 a month of canteen money to every prisoner throughout their sentences, but we need more help in order to do that. 15 KTB prisoners have been sentenced so far to a total of 60.5 years between them. Supporting them with £50 a month will cost a total of £36.3k, but unfortunately there are likely to be more prisoners. At least 20 people are still waiting to stand trial in the coming months.

From August 2021 to February 2022 we spent nearly £4k on providing Kill the Bill prisoners with ‘canteen money’ in prison, while almost £1k went towards supporting prisoner families.

Since we set up this crowdfunder last Summer, Ryan Roberts received a 14 year long sentence. We are committed to supporting him financially throughout his time in prison, but need your support to do so. We will need at least £6k to support Ryan through his sentence.

This is an overwhelming amount of money to raise but we know that across our networks and communities there are people like you who take action to support those experiencing repression for resisting the Police, Courts and Sentencing Bill and police violence. So please donate what you can and keep sharing this crowdfunder!

If you would like to donate in a different way please email bristol_abc@riseup.net

What will the money be used for?

• £50 will be offered to each prisoner per month for the duration of their sentence. This is for phone credit and essential items in prison.
• Bristol ABC is also dedicated to raising funds for books, clothes, distance learning courses and helping people’s friends and families visit them. All of these things make prison survivable and keep people connected to their loved ones. Any additional funds we raise will go towards the above. 

Why support the Kill the Bill Protestors in Prison?

What happened on 21st March was an outpouring of rage against the violence of the police. The crowd fought back after police officers attacked the crowd with batons and riot shields. Pepper spray was used indiscriminately, people were charged at with horses and hit over the head with batons and shields . The protesters fought back, seizing police riot shields, helmets and batons to defend themselves. By the end of the evening several police vehicles had been set on fire.

Those who defended themselves against the police have been branded ‘thugs’ and ‘wild animals’ by both Priti Patel and the police spokesperson. The police have been out for revenge for what happened at Bridewell ever since. That revenge has come in the form of the brutality used against the Kill the Bill protests in Bristol on March 23rd and 26th. And in the use of riot charges – the most serious public order charge available in English law punishable by a maximum of ten years in prison – against those who fought back on March 21st.

The demonstration on 21st March was against the Police, Courts and Sentencing Bill, a bill which aims to give the police even more power to repress political dissent, and which will destroy the ways of life of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities. It will also massively expand the prison population  through further criminalisation, longer sentences and more powers to imprison children.

Communities across the UK face violence at the hands of the police every day, but they only call it violence when we fight back!

We need to support those that have fought back and show those in prison that they are never alone and not forgotten.