Freedom for the imprisoned anarchists in Istanbul! International day of solidarity – June 12th, 2012

On May 14th 60 people who participated in the Mayday parade in Istanbul were arrested and their homes searched. They are accused of “damaging public property in the name of a terrorist organization”, because during the parade a couple of banks were damaged. Nine of them are still kept in prison. One of them (who identifies as LGBT -lesbian bisexual gay transgender) was the target of hate speech.

Using the threat of 15-20 years of prison, some of these nine were pressured during the first days (which they spent isolated from their families, friends and lawyers) and confessed to being leaders of a terrorist organization. This accusation seems absurd if one looks at the different parts of the anarchist movements they were active in – from animal rights to human rights, ecological movement and LGBT. It is the first time that activists from the anarchist spectrum, the animal rights and ecological movement are accused of being a terrorist organization. The same method of repression has a long and sad tradition against kurdish and other left groups and individuals.

It is therefore even more necessary to show the agencies of repression that the imprisoned activists are not isolated, but that they have a broad, international movement standing behind them, which values the defense of lives and the dignity of humans and animals more than a few (broken) windows. In an open letter the nine prisoners speak for the first them and the organization Yeryüzüne Özgürlük Derneği (Freedom to Earth Association) calls for international solidarity.

On June 12th people in many countries all over the world will demonstrate in front of Turkish embassies to show their solidarity with the prisoners and to demand their release. Organize actions in your own city!
Do not leave the prisoners alone!

Support the turkish activists and demand their immediate release!

End:Civ Tour Screening @ Kebele this Thursday

END:CIV UK Tour
Thursday 12th April @ Kebele Social Centre, Easton
w/ Talk from Franklin Lopez & discussion on civilisation and resistance
Food served from 6:30pm, film starts at 7:30pm
+ Animal & earth liberation prisoner letter writing

Having attended over 110 screenings in America, Mexico, Canada and Japan Franklin López will continue his world tour in the UK this April his film END:CIV (http://endciv.com/)

END:CIV illustrates the brutality of a civilization addicted to systematic violence and environmental destruction, and the heroism of those who confront it head-on.

Through rapid-fire video-game graphics, interviews, war footage and satire END:CIV mocks the excesses of the global economic system, and examines the necessity for effective resistance.

As the UK is beginning to experience more frequent environmental crises resulting from climate change and a history of poor environmental management this film will be instrumental in bringing awareness of the need to confront the system which allows this destruction to continue.

After the screening Franklin will answer questions relating to the film and ask those present to consider what action they are prepared to take to save the landbase they rely on to survive.

An award-winning filmmaker, Franklin López hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1994 he founded SubMedia.tv and his work has been featured on Canada’s City TV, Current TV, BET, and Democracy Now!

“By far, the most routinely-praised contemporary media activist is Franklin López. His shows and films not only possess a distinctive look and feel, but they also contain a wicked sense of humor … López’s work engages in constructing a new vision where popular culture serves the interests of the poor and dispossessed, where humor is reignited within activism, and the D.I.Y. ethics of punk and hip-hop allow those with talent and gumption to be the media, once again.” – Chris Robé, Pop Matter

Suggested donation for food: £2.50

Barry Horne 10 year anniversary memorial event

Barry Horne was an animal liberationist who quite literally died for his beliefs whilst serving an 18 year prison sentence. Whilst in prison he engaged in 3 hungerstrikes in less than 3 years, the first two whilst he was still on remand.

Barry Horne was arrested in Bristol in July 1996, spent a lot of time on remand at Bristol prison (in Horfield), and was tried at Bristol crown court. His hungerstrikes were a political action aimed at forcing first the Tory government, and then NewLabour, into taking action to end vivisection and then general abuse of animals for profit. During his hungerstrikes and throughout his prison sentence until his death there was a masive upsurge in animal rights related actions, and some of the most well known such campaigns began, including at Hill Grove (cat) Farm and Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Political prisoners list July 2011

Here is the monthly list of political prisoners compiled by Bristol ABC, for July 2011.
As an open office doc: prisoner-list_july2011

It is a worrying fact that the list of political prisoners is growing both here in the UK and around the world. The fact of the matter is that we barely scratch the surface of the list of people doing time for their political beliefs and actions. Indeed, if you look through our list, you will note that details of political prisoners across eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the middle east are almost entirely absent. These peoples’ plights are virtually unrecorded (in the english language at least) , and they number in the tens of thousands, with many disappearing forever, as often as not murdered by their repressive regimes.

Prisoners requesting support December 2010

Here is our updated December 2010 list of international and UK political prisoners welcoming support.

Download a copy:
As a PDF: Prisoners list_Dec 2010
As an open office doc: Prisoners list_Dec 2010

Why not print off a copy and pass it around/pin it up at your workplace, community or social centre, local pub/bar or alternative bookshop/space? Get your friends or campaign group to adopt a prisoner, or just send a few seasonal cards of solidarity? Remember these people are in prison because of acting on their political beliefs. It could be you one day.

Prisoner support letter-writing night and hot prisoners

Bristol ABC prisoner support group returns this month to Kebele social centre for November’s public letters to prisoners night.

Wednesday 10 November, from 7 to 9pm at 14 Robertson Rd, Bristol BS5 6JY. Hot drinks available, bring snacks to share please.

Once again we will have lists of prisoners here and abroad who welcome support.

Update on SHAC prisoners

On 25th October six British SHAC campaigners were convicted on charges related to their role in the campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences. Alfie Fitzpatrick was given a 12 month sentence suspended for 2 years. Sarah Whitehead received 6 years. Nicole Vosper received 3 and a half years. Thomas Harris received 4 years. Nicola Tapping received 15 months. Jason Mullen received 3 years.

Please send urgent letters of support to:

Free Renata Zelazna Letter Appeal

Campaign to support Renata
(Renata is a young Polish student and anarchist who has spent some time in the south of the UK involved in various campaigns and projects. After moving to Holland to pursue her interests, she ran into some serious shit. The following info has been circulated by some of her friends and supporters. There is plenty of background info to read here and here, and our previous report here).

Image circulated by Renata's friends

Renata Zelazna (aka Zebra) is a friend of ours, and a vegan and anarchist who is now on remand over an unfortunate chain of events. She was arrested in April 2010 in Holland where she had moved to study, after an altercation with construction site workers which ended up with police threatening her in her own flat. She was holding a knife that she was chopping vegetables with – leading to charges of attempted murder!

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.

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.