Pandemic And Prisons.

        We all know, or should know, our prisons are overcrowded with poor hygiene, poor medical facilities, and are places with no freedom or possibilities of self isolating. They are incubation pods for the spread of infections, so what are our lords and masters doing to protect those who find themselves lock into this intolerable situation during this pandemic? We must demand that all prisoners should be in a position to self isolate, have the needed health care and hygiene necessary to survive this pandemic. To fail to do this is not just a case of cruel criminal neglect, but also an act of callous inhumanity. Prisons must not be allowed to become institutional mortuaries and reported as just one of those things that happen. Prisoners can and must be protected.   

This from Act For Freedom Now:

         In this moment of not knowing what’s coming next, the failure of this system is more and more clear: a world wired for ever-growing speed, circulation, and productivity, suddenly has to stop. In this moment when power gets more power, fed by the general panic of an unknown and new situation, there’s a pressing need to listen out and to fight for those who are most affected, those who already know what it is to be trapped, isolated and repressed.
        We will be publishing information, hoping to amplify unheard voices, and to break the silence that risks making an intolerable situation even worse. Now, more than ever, those caged by the state face precarious conditions, with low hygienic standards, very poor healthcare and overcrowded cells. While the ‘managers’ of the crisis carefully calculate how this or that measure can protect the political and economic order, the basic steps we need to take to slow down the contagion are clear: keep distance between each other, maintain good hygiene and avoid crowded places. Inside, this will be difficult or impossible for many. We are not going to ‘take this on the chin’! Prison makes us sick!
       Take a minute to share this poster, as an easy and first step to practicing solidarity. Email us with any questions. We won’t share any details without consent.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

An Early Invite.

        Anarchist bookfairs, festivals, gatherings are always welcome events. A great opportunity to meet up with new contacts and old comrades, a chance spread ideas learn new ones. To generate that feeling of solidarity and comradeship, feel you are among people you wish to work with, and with whom you hold the same basic ideals.
        So why not mark your calendar, and if you can get yourself to Vienna around the end of April 2020, you could enjoy all of the above and more.

 Details:
Dear comrades!
        We want to invite you for the next ABC-Solidarity-Festival in Vienna starting at Thursday 23. to Sunday 26. April 2020.
          It would be great if you come to Vienna with your merch, books and info tables, workshops, bands, tattoo tools or other ideas how to participate at the festival. It is a great opportunity to get connected with comrades from all over Europe and to discuss several issues about our struggles, perspectives, projects and critics.
         If you want to offer a workshop or play with your band: Please contact us as soon as possible to fix the details – for the workshop you have normally two hours all in all. The workshops are on Friday or Saturday, starting at 1 in the afternoon. Have a look at the timetable of the last years: https://abcfestvienna.noblogs.org/program-2017
        It would be a pleasure to see you in Vienna (of course you are very welcome also during the year).

All the best and warm hugs from us,
ABC Vienna

https://abcfestvienna.noblogs.org

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

No Borders, No Prisons

       Detention centres, prisons, call them what you will, they are all state tools of repression, symbols of inhumanity, an abomination in any civilised society. Those who work in them are usually contaminated with the same DNA of the institutions that pays their wages. Who with a shred of humanity would want to be a guard over another human in a cage.

     This article is from Greece, but Greece is not alone in treating humans in this manner, we can all look a lot closer to home and find mirror situations. Migrants are one of the many state scapegoats, tools in the state's propaganda machine.

This From Enough is Enough:

       Athens, Greek territory. On December 19, 2019, was our last visit to Petrou Ralli Detention Center. Once more the number of detainees had increased and reached no50 50 women from 15 different countries. Indonesia, Ethiopia, Albania, Afghanistan, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Cameroon, China, Tibet, Belarus, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Turkey. In our effort to talk with them, some police officers were in such close proximity that prevented women to express themselves freely about situations they experience. The behavior of some officers was also provoking towards us.

Originally published by Athens Indymedia.

        A characteristic testimony: “When we came here they forbade us to wear our headscarves and told us:” Out of here you can be Muslim, here NO! Here you are Christians… “
        Another testimony: “A police officer invaded into the shower room, while a prisoner was bathing, and made her pull the towel…” At the time, the health of several of them was very bad. Despite our own pressure for two women to be transferred to a hospital as emergency cases, nothing really changed. Τhese women are still very sick. Also, there are no doctors during weekends and during the night time, at Petrou Ralli. On Christmas day we were informed by relatives of prisoners for possible initiation of a few women on hunger strike. The day after our visit they started writing their experiences in the following denunciation letter, where they describe them with their own voices. Experiences that we can simply only imagine. Women from six different countries asked their will for their letter to be publicized. When you have lost everything you do not fear anything.
        Their voices should be heard in the whole world. You can discuss it in your assemblies. The organizations and institutions that talk about human rights should stop fooling us and playing with the plight of migrants and refugees, who are led to extermination.
        We stand by and admire these women for their bravery and solidarity they show to each other…

No person illegal, no person invisible

     Our Rebel sisters are right for the abolition of detention centers and opening of Borders, for stopping illegal racist & misogynist behaviors, for smashing verbal, physical and mental torture

The passion for freedom is stronger than all kinds of prisons

In streets, in squares and prison cells, migrant women you are not alone

The House of Women, for the Empowerment & Emancipation

spiti.gynaikon@gmail.com

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Extremism, A Weapon Of The State.

       In keeping with the previous post, this article in support of all prisoners, from Contra Info:

    Multiform combat against global tyranny, irreducibility to the advance of state terrorism
      In Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, Greece, Turkey, Syria, USA, Venezuela, Germany, Poland, Russia, India or China – as in Portugal or any other part of the world – the order is to attack by all means those who resist, relentlessly pursuing all combatants, imprisoning them, torturing them, killing them if they deem it necessary. The dogs of Power receive the salary to that, the laws are adapted to legitimize the crimes of state terrorism, all crimes of capitalism. Capitalism, in all nuances, feeds on these situations while the peoples remain inert, terrified or dormant, ignoring to what extent their inaction reinforces the implementation of fascism that is tried to install everywhere.
      We are against all frontiers, against all forms of power, of subordination, against all forms of capitalism. We could appeal in particular to the solidarity with comrade Santiago Maldonado, disappeared by the police in Argentina (when he was in solidarity with the dignified struggle of the Mapuche people) – or with all the other anarchists who struggle daily around the world for the destruction of this system, for freedom, risking their lives, inside and outside prisons – however, we consider that the only way to defend your freedom and life is to take care of our freedom and our own life, each of us. This is the memory that must prevail.
Multiform combat against global tyranny, irreducibility to the advance of state terrorism.
The passion for freedom is stronger than all prisons!
Some anarchists
August 24, 2017
in pdf here
in Portuguese, Spanish, German

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

Death At The Hands Of The Police.

          I suppose there are some naive people out there who still believe that the police are there to protect us from "bad guys", to make sure you don't steal something from your neighbour, or become drunk and disorderly. This is the wonderful illusion created by the propaganda spewed out from our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media. Make no mistake, the police are there to protect the established order of power and wealth, the main line of defence before the army takes to the streets, if need be. Yes they lock up the odd abuser, and rapist, but this is a spin-off not their main purpose. Killings by law enforcement officers in the UK from 1920 to 2000 is listed as 27, but that number rockets after the year 2000, from 2000 to March 2017 there are listed 42 such deaths. They act with impunity, and literally, "get away with murder".
       We now have another killing by those who pose as the protectors of the public, to add to those horrifying statistics, this report from Libcom, the details speak for themselves.

 

 

         Twenty five year old Edir Frederico Da Costa, known as Edson, died yesterday having sustained multiple injuries during a police stop in Beckton, East London. Update 23rd June - there will be a #JusticeForEdson demonstration this Sunday at Forest Gate station at 2pm.
       [content note: police violence, description of injuries]
        Edson was one of three people in a vehicle stopped by police in Beckton around 10pm on June 16th. Police used force to arrest him and pepper sprayed him at the scene, he had a heart attack and was pronounced dead. Edson was revived by paramedics on scene who put him into an induced coma, but he was brain dead. After being kept on life support, this was turned off Tuesday.
       The Newham Recorder reported that a post mortem has concluded there were no injuries to suggest severe force was used on Edson.
       In a statement on Facebook however, a family member wrote that his injuries included a fractured skull, fallen voice box and ruptured bladder amongst other injuries.
        A friend of the family on twitter mentioned that Edson's vertebrae had been snapped, and that while he was foaming at the mouth police had said he was 'OK'.
       Family have not been told the name of the officer involved. The case has parallels to the police killing of Freddie Gray in a police van in Baltimore in 2015, leading to mass protests over his death. Prosecutions of the officers involved in Freddie Gray's death did not result in convictions.
       Julian Cole was left in a vegetative state after being carried to a police car in Bedford in 2013. The CPS announced it would not be charging the police involved in Julian Cole's arrest earlier this year.
        Police brutality is a regular occurrence in the UK as well as in the US. The IPCC and CPS rarely prosecute police officers and there has been no conviction for a death in custody since 1969. This requires mass protests and organisation in order to gain even basic accountability of the police, but in the end the only accountable police force may be no police force. Movements towards complete police abolition are gaining pace as the limits of reform become increasingly stark.