Caged.

 

          They stand there, those innocuous looking buildings, could be anything, but for the usual nameplate HM Prison---At first glance they do not say arbitrary punishment, cruelty, inhumanity, repression or viciousness. The propaganda element of the judiciary menagerie and the various mouthpieces of the state, weave the illusion that they are correction centres for bad people. So if you are a good and obedient citizen, then you will never need to trouble yourself about these institutions of state repression. However we know that there are innumerable innocent people enmeshed in the tentacles of these inhumane institutions, we know that their idea of correction is to create a submissive, obedient population. We know of the countless case of "miscarriage of justice". They are there to protect the wealth and power of the privileged few.

This from Enough is Enough:

           On Tuesday 08/02 at 19.00 p.m I was brought in by the anti-terrorist service outside my partner’s house in Ano Poli. The reason for this is the previous arrest- in the morning hours of the same day- of Thanos Hatziangelou and Georgia Voulgari accused for placing an incendiary device in the institution of National and Religious Reflection. I was transferred to the General Police Directorate of Thessaloniki(GPDT), where hours later I was announced of my arrest on criminal charges and membership in the organization “Anarchist Action”. I remained detained for two days in the basements of GPDT where on Friday 11/02 I passed by an investigator and a prosecutor where my pre-trial detention was announced.

Originally published by Athens Indymedia.

        Amidst the vortex of a comedic yet tragic process unfolding against me, I unequivocally and strongly declare innocent of all the accusations against me. I am currently imprisoned without ANY evidence linking me to any involvement in what is being attributed to me, without ANY mentioned of my name in the anti-terrorist testimony in relation to the organization’s activities. The only connection that is being attempted is through the house I was renting (allocated next to the shop that I kept with my associates) as well as next to my partner’s house (where I actually lived) and which I had given as a quarantine and recovery space by covid- 19.
        I make efforts to stand tall up against this manufactured conspiracy that deprives me of my freedom. I try to keep my mind alert and clear so that I can stand up to this injustice that drowns me. I try to stand up to this arbitrariness who thinks my life is a pawn on an invisible chessboard. Against those who take human relationships and use them as they wish and as it suits them, to compose the puzzle they design.

I will make it.

       Solidarity to my friend, colleague and comrade Thanos Hatziangelou and comrade Georgia that I met a few days ago in the basements of GPDT.

Panos Kalaitzis

Korydallos Prison 15/02/2022

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info 

From Sacco And Vanzetti To The Craigavon 2

        Pick your country and you will find injustice, miscarriages of justice are part and parcel of any state's judicial system, as it will always do its utmost to intimidate dissent and subdue activists in the defence of the privileged few who control the wealth and hold the reins of power. 

A call for solidarity from 325:

From Sacco and Vanzetti to the Craigavon 2
A Call Out for Support and Solidarity

       The 23rd of August marks the 91st anniversary of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. They were both executed in the US in 1927 for the robbery of a shoe factory and the killing of a guard and paymaster. During their trial the prosecution produced conflicting ballistic evidence and witness testimony. The defence had several witnesses testifying where the accused men were on the day of the robbery and killings. This should have proven Sacco and Vanzetti innocence but instead both were convicted and sentenced to death. They were killed for their beliefs, they were insurrectionary anarchists “that advocated relentless warfare against a violent and oppressive government.”
       Like Sacco and Vanzetti, the state scapegoated Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton (their case is known as the Craigavon 2) , for revenge over killing of a cop and two British soldiers in 2009. The cops arrested and charged several republicans in connection with the killings. In all cases the only real evidence the state had was that all the accused were republicans. Two people, John Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville were charged and convicted of the killing of the cop. Two others, Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers, were charged with the killing of the soldiers. The latter were subsequently found not guilty of the killings of the soldiers, the state had no evidence on them.
       Like with Duffy and Shivers the state have no real evidence on John Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville. The only evidence produced by the state was circumstantial evidence and a witness statement from a proven liar, whose own father came forward denouncing his son as such, and the partner of the witness that was with him on the night of the killing cannot confirm his version of events. So what really convicted John Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville were their belief in the republican struggle and for the state to save face and for the revenge on what were the first killings of British armed forces in Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
         The Craigavon 2 need support and solidarity, they are are going on their tenth year of imprisonment. Brendan McConville is a father of two, was 37 in 2009 when first imprisoned, Brendan has to do at least 25 years before being considered for parole.
         John Paul Wootton was 17 years old when first imprisoned, he wasn’t even an adult and has been in prison ever since, John Paul has to do at least 18 years before being considered for parole. John Paul now describes himself as an anarchist, and so is added to the long list of anarchists in prisons across the globe from Chile to Russia.
       Their only hope is for an appeal in court, their case needs to be made known and their campaign needs to grow to put pressure on those in power.

      For further information on cases of John Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville see: https://jftc2.com/

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

Where Prisons Survive, Democracy Dies.

 

         Prisons are an antithesis of democracy, they are no more and no less, than brutal institutions of repression, a bulwark in the defence of the establishments wealth and power. Of course a large percentage of the population believe that if you don't do anything to break their rules of control, you are safe from being lock-up in the state's cages. However, history tells us different, over the years there has been a litany of "miscarriages" of justice. Which is not surprising, since we live a society built on corruption and injustice.

      This is just one individual's long running fight against a "miscarriage" of justice, but there are many, many more that end up in destroying the individual and in most cases the lives of their families.

       A suggested motto for the UK justice system.

‘The most ardent defenders of justice here consider that it is better for an innocent man to be condemned than for the Inquisition to suffer disgrace.’

– Papal envoy, Spain 1565

This from 325:

        Kevan Thakrar is an IWW member and miscarriage of justice who has served over a decade in prison. He was moved to the Close Supervision Centre at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire in July and is now being subjected to an even more repressive regime, as well as targeted harassment from prison officers.

     Kevan repeatedly challenges his conditions and captivity with complaints and legal challenges, many often against prisoner officers and members of the Prison Officers Association. In retaliation, the Prison Officers Association have been actively encouraging officers to try to get Kevan moved to a different prison. Staff have been trying provoke an incident after Kevan’s requests for them to wear body-worn cameras (for his own protection, following incidents of physical violence inflicted against Kevan in the past).

     On Thursday 16th August, Kevan was put on an even more brutal regime. He is now locked up 23 hours a day. He has 30mins outside and 30mins to shower, make phone calls or do anything else he needs to do. When he is unlocked, everyone else in the CSC is locked in. This is creating animosity between the prisoners (a desired effect for the officers).

      Kevan has requested to see the Governor and has so far been refused. His planned meeting with the prison’s Diversity Officer was also refused by the Governor.

     Close Supervision Centres are designed to break human beings. Most people leave and enter psychiatric custody following what they are subjected to. Kirsty White, head of the CSC unit has told Kevan the reason for his restricted regime is that Kevan’s PTSD is being triggered and that he is clearly “distressed” because he is asking for body-worn cameras. Kevan developed PTSD after experiencing extreme racial, physical and sexual abuse at HMP Frankland in 2010.

Kevan has been fighting for his life as a miscarriage of justice for the past 11 years. Learn about his case. He has been kept in solitary confinement for over 8 years. You can read more about his experience in prison here.

Kevan after a beating by prison officers at HMP Frankland.

What you can do

       Follow the facebook* for updates on upcoming demonstrations

1. Please contact the Head Governor Will Styles at HMP Whitemoor:

Address: HMP Whitemoor, Longhill Road, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 0PR
Tel: 01354 602 350
Fax: 01354 602 351
Email – Will.Styles@hmps.gsi.gov.uk

2. Write to the Justice Secretary, David Gauke MP:

Email: david@davidgauke.com

Or contact him via the Ministry of Justice: https://contact-moj.dsd.io/correspondence/topic

3. Write to the MP of the area, Steve Barclay: http://stevebarclay.net/contact/

4. Complain to the Prison Officers Association: general@poauk.org.uk

5. Write to Kevan:

Write to Kevan! He needs your support and solidarity. Send letters to:

Kevan Thakrar A4907AE
HMP Whitemoor
Longhill Road
March
Cambridgeshire
PE15 0PR

You can also use emailaprisoner.com

*https://www.facebook.com/IWOCWISERA/

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

    

No One Forgotten, Nothing Forgiven, Solidarity.

        It is a fact that our prison system, (the state's system of repression), is mainly populated by people with addiction problems, mental health issues and miscarriages of justice, all of these people should be elsewhere, receiving help with their problems or getting on with their lives. Our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, always spouts the false narrative that prisons are filled with "bad people", and they are put there by the "good" forces of "law and order". However, the history of our legal system and its prisons are a litany of miscarriages of justice and human misery. Once sucked into the penal system, it is extremely difficult to extract yourself from its callous and vindictive claws. The system never likes to show its flaws, the charade of impartial fair "justice" must always be protected, as a flawless system of fairness, protecting you and I. The lie must live for the system to survive.
        The Bristol Anarchist Black Cross, is calling for solidarity in support of one such sufferer of the system's many miscarriages of justice:

     ABOUT SAM AND HER CASE: Sam Faulder is an anarchist prisoner currently serving a life sentence in England. Sam is a miscarriage of justice who has done over ten years in the prison system.
         She has been an anti-authoritarian her whole life and was relentlessly targeted by police because of her lifestyle choices. After serving nearly two years on remand, Sam’s trial was a disaster. Police corruption impacted her trial and her solicitor firm withdrew from her case three weeks before it began. Her need to appeal coincided with cuts to legal-aid and she has been trapped in the prison system ever since.
        She is now working with Cardiff University’s Innocence Project on her appeal. Learn more about her case and appeal here: http://freedomforsam.org/about/ [1]
     ABOUT SAM’S HEALTH: After ten years experiencing every abuse imaginable, Sam was sadly diagnosed with cancer in 2016. She has still not had
treatment. She has experienced intense medical neglect while being imprisoned in a for-profit prison, HMP Peterborough, run by Sodexo. Read the full story of her cancer situation here: http://freedomforsam.org/sams-cancer-timeline/ [2]

SUPPORT SAM NEEDS:

* Please send letters and cards with solidarity messages to: Samantha Faulder A1209CF, HMP Foston Hall, Foston, Derby, Derbyshire, DE65 5DN
* Please donate to her support fund: http://freedomforsam.org/donate/
[3]
* Organise actions and dedicate them to Sam, this will mean the world
to her!
* Pay attention to the website for action alerts about her treatment
* Share her story online

For more info please email bristol_abc@riseup.net

See the graphic here: https://bristolabc.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/support-sam.jpg

Links:
——
[1] http://freedomforsam.org/about/
[2] http://freedomforsam.org/sams-cancer-timeline/
[3] http://freedomforsam.org/donate/

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

      

Workers, Know Your History. San Francisco 1916.

      Across the centuries states have knowingly been the perpetrators of miscarriages of justice, some come to light, others never see the light of day, they just become statistics in some judiciary report. What is today considered by some, to be a modern phenomenon, "acts of terrorism" have often been grasp by the state as an opportunity to strengthen its grip on society, and to rid itself of those it considers a problem. 100 years ago, what was San Francisco's worst act of "terrorism" was one such event that brought about one of America's worst "miscarriage of justice" 

     A brutal bomb attack on a crowded street on a day of war triumphalism, saw two innocent men spend years in prison, one under the sentence of death. The usual ingredients were there, corrupt officials, compliant lacks serving those officials, lying witnesses and a bitter anti trade union and anti socialist/anarchist bias. That was 100 years ago, how many such cases of this type of "miscarriage of justice" can you recall, and how much do you think things have changed?

 July 22nd 1916:

         As members of the Grand Army of the Republic assembled at the Ferry Building, awaiting the start of San Francisco's lavish Preparedness Day parade, one elderly veteran fainted. Just as an ambulance reached the fallen man, a explosion shook Market Street.
        When the dust settled, a bloody scene painted the street. The sidewalks ran red and "all around the bodies of men and women, almost stripped of their clothes, lay in horrible grotesque heaps," wrote the Chronicle. Windows blocks away were shattered. Ten were dead, including one child, and another 40 injured.
        It remains the only terrorist attack in San Francisco history.-------

And so the sham of justice moves into action:

       Despite the shocking blast, the parade went on as scheduled. Bodies were still on the street when the parade continued on over the broken, bloody ground. Among the rubble, police found the bomb on Steuart and Market: a suitcase packed with bullets and shrapnel and set off with a timed explosion. Without a scrap of evidence, they knew who to blame.
         "A man who would commit so dastardly and cowardly an outrage must be a man with anarchistic principles," San Francisco police chief D.A. White said.
          When district attorney Charles Flickert arrived at the scene, he told reporters, "You know, men, I already think I know who did this."
        Five days later, police arrested William K. Billings, 22, and Thomas J. Mooney, 33, without warrants. Billings, a shoe cutter from New York, was already well-known to police. He'd been arrested for the assault of the foreman at a shoe company in 1913 and had recently been found carrying explosives on a street car in Sacramento. But he was just the lackey, prosecutors argued. Mooney was the true mastermind.
         Mooney had been on the police radar for years despite having no criminal record. He was one of the city's foremost radical leaders, a well-known socialist in the labor community. With the country roiling in anti-socialist sentiment, it's perhaps no surprise Billings and Mooney were singled out.
        And the willing public had no qualms playing along, despite a complete lack of evidence.-------

Read the full article HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

JUDICIAL MURDER, SACCO AND VANZETTI.

         A couple of days late, but should still be remembered. August 23 1927 was when the American state carried out one of its many brutal judicial murders in an attempt to quell the rising workers organisations. The case of Sacco and Vanzetti stands out as one of the most blatant miscarriages of justice in the Western world. The 85 years since the event has not lessened the state's crime, nor should it. Just as the state seen the abolition of workers organisations as a means to maintain its power, so the workers should see the abolition of the state as the only means to attain their freedom.

7th Annual Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Day - Sunday, August 26, 2012

 

           Gather at the Boston Common Visitor Center (Tremont/West) at 2PM to star marching towards the North Ends at 3PM. Then rally at 4PM the Greenway Park, Hanover St. and Cross Street in the North End of Boston.This event is dedicated to all political prisoners and victims of state repression.
JUSTICE CRUCIFIED NO MORE!
Sponsored by the Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society and the I.W.W.
Endorsed by the Lantern Collective, Bread and Roses Heritage Committee, Common Struggle, Socialist Workers Party

For more info: info[at]saccoandvanzetti.org or call 617-290-5614

To download the flyer for the event click here.
To download the press release and psa click here

ann arky's home.