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*prisoner solidarity

Good book re:prison 'Death at the Hands of the State' by Professor David Wilson .......one quote 'half the women interviewed in prison had siuffered either physical or sexual abuse; over 40% had been using or were addicted to drugs; 3 out of 4 had had no employment b4 coming to jail; 1 in 10 had been homeles b4 entering jail and a third lost their homes as a result of their imprisonment'.

And we call ourselves 'civilised' or 'democratic'.........


Death at the hands of the state records that women are 40 times more likely to commit suicide than a man.

Women stuck in a mans system made by men kills and she has to struggle to survive. How many will it be this year? Surely we realise by now that how we treat prisoners is the baseline of our supposed society, if we lock up mentally ill, women on drugs, women that are unwomanly then the state is the abuser and women are still victims.
 
Two female suicides so far this year - Caroline Powell died on 5th Jan 07 at HMP Eastwood Park (whilst on remand) and Lucy Wood on 15th Jan 07 at HMP peterborough (private prison} RIP.
 
Mumia Abu-Jamal – protest at US Embassy 17 May

This is a crucial appeal to help MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!

He has been imprisoned on death row for a quarter of a century, convicted of a crime he did not commit. He was framed for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer because of his history of political activism and his record as a journalist who was not afraid to speak out for the oppressed.

On Thursday 17 May Mumia's lawyers are appealing against his conviction.

This may be Mumia's LAST CHANCE!

If his appeal fails, it is very likely he will be EXECUTED.

We need to demand his immediate release. That means MOBILISING NOW!

Please come and show your support for Mumia and attend a PROTEST AT THE U.S. EMBASSY.

Grosvenor Square, London W1A
6.30pm, Thursday 17 May 2007
For further information:
freemumiauk@gmail.com, 07722 044 710

www.freemumia.multiservers.com

Please send this e-mail on to as many people as possible and/or download flyers from the website and distribute as widely as possible.
 
Arnold Beverly confessing to killing Daniel Faulkner

View video of Arnold Beverly confessing to killing Daniel Faulkner - the killing which Mumia Abu-Jamal has been framed for.

 
Interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal's lawyer - Part One

This is a "DEMOCRACY NOW" interview with Mumia's attorney Robert Bryan following the Federal Appeals Court hearing on Thursday.

==

Attorney Robert Bryan says a racist judge and racist jury practices contributed to the sentencing of Abu-Jamal to death row. Bryan joins us in New York one day after he argued before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. [includes rush transcript]


For our first segment, we turn to Philadelphia and a pivotal court hearing for the imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther, Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal has spent a quarter-century on death row. He was convicted of killing a police officer following a controversial trial before a predominantly white jury. In 2001, a judge overturned Abu-Mumia's death sentence but upheld his conviction. On Thursday, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments to decide whether Mumia gets a new trial, life in prison without parole, or execution. Hundreds of people packed the courtroom while an even larger crowd rallied in support of Mumia outside. A decision may not come down for months.
We are joined now by Mumia Abu-Jamal's lead attorney. Robert Bryan has represented Mumia since 2003. He is a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and the former Chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Robert Bryan, Mumia Abu-Jamal's lead attorney. He is a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and the former Chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.


RUSH TRANSCRIPT
This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution.
Donate - $25, $50, $100, more...

JUAN GONZALEZ: For our first segment, we turn to Philadelphia and a pivotal court hearing for the imprisoned journalist and the former Black Panther, Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal has spent a quarter-century on death row. He was convicted of killing a police officer following a controversial trial before a predominantly white jury. In 2001, a judge overturned Mumia Abu-Jamal’s death sentence, but upheld his conviction. On Thursday, a three-judge panel heard oral arguments to decide whether Mumia gets a new trial, life in prison without patrol, or execution. Hundreds of people packed the courtroom, while an even larger crowd rallied in support of Mumia outside. A decision may not come down for months.
AMY GOODMAN: We're joined right now by Mumia Abu-Jamal’s lead attorney. Robert Bryan has represented Mumia since 2003. He's a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and the former chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Welcome to Democracy Now!
ROBERT BRYAN: It’s a pleasure to be here, Amy
AMY GOODMAN: Why don't you lay out what happened in the courtroom for -- what was it? -- two hours yesterday?
ROBERT BRYAN: Well, it was over two hours. We argued before a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which is just below the US Supreme Court. The court seemed really interested. There are a number of issues pending before this court. They involve the death penalty, racism in jury selection, the racism and bias of the trial judge, Sabo, who referred to my client during the trial, to use his words -- I’m quoting him -- “I’m going to help them fry the nigger,” referring to Mumia Abu-Jamal.
AMY GOODMAN: Who heard that?
ROBERT BRYAN: Pardon?
AMY GOODMAN: Who heard that?
ROBERT BRYAN: A court stenographer. It was just outside the courtroom. She was going with her judge to another courtroom, and they passed Judge Sabo in an antechamber adjacent to the courtroom where the trial occurred, and Sabo started talking about the trial and made those comments, which are as offense as -- I mean, as you may know, I specialize in death penalty litigation. I’ve handled hundreds of death penalty trials and cases in post-conviction proceedings in the past three decades. I even went and spent three days in jail in a murder case for contempt of court, in which my client was acquitted -- African American. I’ve seen a lot of racism, but I’ve never heard anything like that, except in this case in Philadelphia. It's unprecedented.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And that court stenographer's statement, has it ever gone before a judge on this case?
ROBERT BRYAN: Juan, it went before the court yesterday. I said -- from my lips -- and I said, “Understand, these are the words of Judge Sabo, not Robert R. Bryan.” But our focus yesterday is interesting, with all the energy by the prosecution to kill my client. The focus yesterday was on constitutional crimes committed by the prosecution. What the whole focus was primarily was on the death penalty, I’d say 20% and 80% on racism in the District Attorney's office of Philadelphia. And in all of my years of doing this kind of work, I find yesterday’s hearing, as I think back on it this morning, as unprecedented. These judges, how they'll rule, we do not know, but they were very troubled -- that was very clear -- about the racism in this case.
JUAN GONZALEZ: One of the main points that you were raising was the jury selection process in the original trial, right?
ROBERT BRYAN: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: The number of challenges of potential white jurors versus black jurors. Could you talk about that?
ROBERT BRYAN: Yes. The US Supreme Court has been very clear in recent years, beginning with a 1986 decision, that racism in jury selection offends the US Constitution. And in this case, the prosecutor used over two-thirds of his strikes to remove people of color, African Americans, only 20% to 25% white people. I mean, you know, you have all of these African American people removed and very few white people. And it's well-documented that the District Attorney's office of Philadelphia during that period in the early ’80s, and certainly going back, were very active in employing racism in jury selection discrimination. And the big question yesterday, in my words, was -- an issue for the court was and is -- was race, was discrimination at work in this case? And it seems like not only the statistics, but a wealth of other evidence, certainly seems to establish that. Let's just hope that the judges agree with us.
AMY GOODMAN: Robert Bryan, the Assistant District Attorney Hugh Burns told the appellate panel that Judge William Yohn erred when he overturned Abu-Jamal’s death sentence, because he should have deferred to the decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which had already held that the penalty phase jury instructions were not confusing. Please explain that, because most people think Mumia Abu-Jamal remains on death row.
ROBERT BRYAN: That is true. He is still on death row. He's in a cell today, Amy, that's smaller than most of our bathrooms at home. And from there, he does his journalism, which is another story, and it's phenomenal. But the lower US district court reversed the case in December 2001, because of a misuse of the death penalty by Judge Sabo, the trial judge. He instructed the jury that they could not return anything less than death, unless they all agreed on any one particular special circumstance, such as his good works in his life. In other words, you couldn't have one juror feel that he should not get death for one reason, another or different reason; they had to all agree, which is nonsense and contrary to US Supreme Court precedent. Immediately after that decision, he reversed it. In other words, he said there had to be a trial on the question of life or death, a new jury trial. The prosecution immediately appealed it, so thus the death penalty remained in effect. Mumia remains on death row, where he sits today, as we're here in this nice studio.
And the court started out yesterday just ripping into the prosecutor. He had the opening comments, because he's the one who initially appealed. Then we cross-appealed. And they just could not understand how one could logically find that what the judge did in this case in instructing the jury would pass muster with the US Constitution. So the court seemed very troubled by that.
What we're interested in are the other issues. Of course, I do not want my client to be executed. I do not want to have to go and watch my friend, who has first asked me to represent him in 1986, twenty-one years ago -- I do not want to lose him. But I want a new trial for him. And at that trial -- I’ve won countless murder cases through the years -- this case deserves an acquittal. I want him to go home to his family.
 
Interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal's lawyer - Part Two

JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, in terms of the move from here, the court -- you expect a decision sometime in the next few months?
ROBERT BRYAN: Yes. And there’s really no way of predicting. I can only give a guess, a guesstimate, not even an estimate. I would predict that we would probably have a decision in forty-five to ninety days.
Now, I just received an email last evening from the court, which is -- I’ve never had this happen in the hundreds of death penalty cases I’ve handled through the years, in which they want us now to order transcripts of the hearing. Now, this isn't a trial. This is before a US Court of Appeals three-judge panel. And so, I will deal with that later today. So they actually want transcribed -- I don't know why they’d want to read what I had to say, but maybe my associates, maybe they want to see what they had to say. But they want transcripts of the hearing, which is unusual in a case at this stage.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And it was also a unusual that they allowed the NAACP to actually argue an amicus brief.
ROBERT BRYAN: Yeah, and one of the first things I did when I -- even though Mumia asked me to represent him in 1986, and I turned him down; I was just too busy with other cases -- when I finally took over the case -- he came back to me four-and-a-half or five years ago -- one of the first things I did was, I started talking with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund here in New York, because they are very well-known for their great work and particularly in racism in jury selection, which is one of our big issues.
And so, they argued -- Christine Swarns of that office argued yesterday. I shared some of -- and I was able to persuade the court -- I filed a motion asking if they’d be able to share some of my argument time. Normally, what they would call amicus curiae, friend of the court people, organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, only submit briefs. I asked the court if they could also join me in argument, and the court granted it, which was wonderful.
And so, here I was here up arguing then, and my associate Judith Ritter, who’s a law professor, argued. And she argued strictly on the death penalty issue. And then the NAACP Legal Defense Fund was able to argue. And then I wrapped up. I argued twice. But it was marvelous to have them join us. So I think it indicates the concern this court has. They seem to be trying to grapple with trying to do the right thing. Only time will tell. But also the National Lawyers Guild filed an amicus curiae brief. They did not argue yesterday, because we just didn’t have enough time.
AMY GOODMAN: Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, was the DA at the time in 1982 --
ROBERT BRYAN: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: -- when Mumia Abu-Jamal was tried. His wife is a judge on the Third Circuit?
ROBERT BRYAN: But she recused herself, disqualified herself. She does in every case down in Philadelphia, so that was a non-issue. The prosecution tried to use that red herring to get rid of this court, and, of course, the court slapped them down and rejected that. She always steps aside in these type of cases.
AMY GOODMAN: Mumia Abu-Jamal was not at the hearing yesterday?
ROBERT BRYAN: No, unfortunately, because it wasn’t a trial.
AMY GOODMAN: How is he doing?
ROBERT BRYAN: I talked with him at length, Amy, last night, and he was very humble about what happened yesterday. And his comments to me -- and, incidentally, he wanted me to say hello to both of you this morning -- his comments to me was, “You know what I want, Robert: people to understand that this is not about me, Mumia Abu-Jamal. This is about everybody on death row around the world. This is about all political prisoners around the world. And I hope that, through what the court does in this case, it will help other people.” It's a typical Mumia comment and attitude, and he's very humble about his position in this.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And also, for some of our listeners or viewers who may not be as familiar with Mumia’s case, how would you estimate the impact of his case -- given the virtual blackout that you have in the commercial media of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case, what is the impact of this case around the world?
ROBERT BRYAN: Well, the impact in commercial media, as we’re speaking today, has been shifting and changing. I’ve worked hard to try to bring it to everybody, the message in this case. But it's a worldwide issue, Mumia Abu-Jamal. I have given a number of talks in Paris, in various places in France. I spoke to 2,500 people in January in Berlin, Germany. And there's world interest, standing ovation at the end of all of these talks. And it's not about me. It's not about Mumia, as he keeps reminding me. It's about him as a symbol in the fight against the death penalty.
And you have to remember that he's unique in the world, because Mumia Abu-Jamal is not just a death row prisoner, a brilliant one at that, but he is a journalist. When he was arrested, he was already known as the voice of the voiceless, and he continues from this tiny bathroom-sized cell to turn out weekly these commentaries that are read and heard by people, not only here, but around the world. And it just -- there's nothing like what's happening with Mumia around the world. So he's important to people everywhere.
AMY GOODMAN: Robert Bryan, I want to thank you very much for being with us. Robert Bryan is the lead attorney for Mumia Abu-Jamal, fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, former chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. And we will certainly continue to follow this case. Thank you.
ROBERT BRYAN: Thank you.
 
Interview with William Singletary confirms Mumia Abu-Jamal's innocence

The IBT web site page on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal (http://www.bolshevik.org/mumia/mumia.html) has been updated with a link to an audio file of an interview with William Singletary, the witness to the killing of police officer Daniel Faulkner. Singletary's account confirms Mumia's absence at the time of the killing.

Our Mumia page also has a link to the video confession by Arnold Beverly that also confirms Mumia's innocence along with our pamphlet that brings together all the evidence proving Mumia's innocence.
 
ORGANIZE NOW TO FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORK
WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY!
WE NEED EVERYONE TO SET UP EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORKS!

What to do when Ridge signs another DEATH WARRANT
GOVERNOR RIDGE HAS PROMISED TO SIGN ANOTHER DEATH WARRANT ON MUMIA!
THE DAY AFTER. . . .

When Ridge signs the warrant, then there will be a DEMONSTRATION in Philadelphia and other major cities THE DAY AFTER! WE MUST ACT IMMEDIATELY and be at CITY HALL the next day!

THE SATURDAY AFTER. . .

We need massive numbers not only the day after, but the SATURDAY AFTER also! If the warrant is signed on a Mon.-Thursday, go to Philadelphia that Saturday. If the warrant is signed on a Friday, go to Philadelphia on the following Saturday. Converge on the State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden Sts.

RIGHT NOW . . .

1. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORKS ARE FUNCTIONING AND IN PLACE. SET UP PHONE TREES AND EMAIL CHAINS WITH NAMES AND NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT YOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORK HAS COLLECTED DURING YOUR WORK ON BEHALF OF MUMIA. KEEP THIS INFORMATION IN A SECURE PLACE! PURCHASE PHONE CARDS, STAMPS, ENVELOPES AND COPY CARDS NOW AND HOLD THEM READY FOR WHEN THE CALL COMES TO PUT THIS ACTIVITY INTO OVERDRIVE!!

2. SAVE SICK/VACATION TIME FROM WORK, PRE-ARRANGE DAY CARE IF POSSIBLE, HAVE TRANSPORTATION DETAILED AND OUTLINED, MUMIA WILL NEED A STRONG, IMMEDIATE RESPONSE BY THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS!

3. WHEN THE DEATH WARRANT IS SIGNED, STAY IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH ICFF-MAJ BY PHONE AND INTERNET FOR DAILY UPDATES ON DEMONSTRATIONS AND ACTIVITIES THAT WE ALL MUST DO TO SAVE MUMIA’S LIFE.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is CRUCIAL that YOU educate EVERYONE you come in contact with about the struggle to SAVE THE LIFE OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!! It’s gonna take the POWER OF THE PEOPLE to PRESSURE this government BEYOND what we accomplished in 1995, this battle is heating up to a scorching temperature with FULL SCALE assaults on our brother and our movement by the enemies of MUMIA and THE PEOPLE. A decision on Mumia’s fate is imminent!
EVERY READER OF THIS MESSAGE MUST FIGHT to get the word out about this LIFE AND DEATH STRUGGLE LIKE NEVER BEFORE, our goal is that NO ONE on this planet will be able to claim that they have never heard of Mumia or have never been exposed to the TRUTH regarding this system’s railroad and planned MURDER of our brother, “The Voice of the Voiceless.” It is WE, the “Voiceless,” in whom Mumia’s fate ultimately rests, not the courts, not the media, not the FOP, but WE who Mumia has represented with total commitment and dedication since the age of 14! Mumia NEVER backed down from his convictions and now WE must stand true to our conviction that MUMIA ABU-JAMAL MUST NOT DIE!

So let’s get busy, y’all!! CREATE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE GROUP NOW! IF YOU’RE A STUDENT BEGIN CONTACTING OTHER STUDENTS BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS! Get those newspapers out of the closet and into the hands of the PEOPLE, you can even create your own leaflet or newsletter for distribution! For example, at .06 a copy you can produce a two-sided 2-page handout for only .24 cents and can produce 100 of those for only $24.00. EVEN IF YOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE GROUP consists of only 5 people, they only need to donate $5.00 each to produce this material and then YOU have created something that will reach 100 people and MORE! NOW IS THE TIME to start gathering information, preparing materials, and mapping strategies. When the Supreme Court makes its decision known, we must act immediately!

Your EMERGENCY RESPONSE GROUP can do TREMENDOUS work towards saving the life of our brother before the Supreme Court decision, too. This is how the PEOPLE won Mumia’s stay of execution in 1995! We must reach the people again RIGHT NOW!

EIGHT THINGS WE MUST DO NOW TO SAVE THE LIFE OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!

1. GET THE FACTS! We must make VERY SURE that Mumia is FULLY REPRESENTED in your town so that he can CONTINUE to REPRESENT FOR US! This means becoming FULLY AWARE of the facts of the original trial, and the appeals.

VIDEO TAPES: The following DOCUMENTARIES are available from the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal for use in your RENEWED organizing commitment! Arrange videotape showings in your home, church, social club, wherever the PEOPLE congregate!

a. BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. (HBO) and if your local video store doesn’t carry it, demand to know WHY. Contact HBO and STRONGLY ENCOURAGE them to re-air this CRITICAL video just as they re-air much of their other programming, because this important documentary CLEARLY exposes the LIES of the FOP and their lynch mob!
b. DATE WITH DEATH. British Broadcasting Company (BBC)
c. THE KILLING STATE. People’s Video Network (PVN)
d. AUGUST 12TH, 1995 DEMONSTRATION. (PVN)
e. BLACK AND BLUE. POWERFUL Documentary on Police Brutality.
f. MOVE CONFRONTATION: AUGUST 8TH, 1978. The system’s first full-scale military assault on the MOVE Organization which resulted in the vicious televised beating of Delbert Africa and the kidnapping and captivity of the MOVE 9 Political Prisoners.

AUDIO TAPES: Solicit radio stations to air Mumia’s commentaries! Flip these tape in your own boombox so that Mumia can come straight to the PEOPLE wherever they are gathered together!

a. Live from Death Row (Volume 1)
b. Live from Death Row (Volume 2)
c. Peoples International Tribunal (5 tapes)

BOOKS: Make sure that your local bookstores stock these books! Study them!
a. Live from Death Row, by Mumia
b. Race for Justice, by Leonard Weinglass
c. Still Black, Still Strong, by Mumia, Assata Shakur & Dhoruba Bin-Wahad
d. Death Blossoms, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
e. MAJ Resource Book by R & R!

2. ORGANIZE DISCUSSIONS, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, RADIO/TV INTERVIEWS
In Your Town For Representatives Of International Concerned Family & Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal at your churches, community centers, youth groups, colleges/universities, high schools, and social groups!

3. BECOME A MEDIA ACTIVIST! Get online now and tell the world about Mumia. Develop e-mailing lists to reach as many as you can. Develop web sites to keep your local group and area informed! Create newsletters and flyers! Create FREE MUMIA Stickers and Posters and cover the town with them! Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, call into local talk shows and keep Mumia’s name out there.

4. WEEKLY MEETINGS are a must to stay organized. ICFF-MAJ meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Urban Education Building, 4601 Market St., Philadelphia. Start regular meetings in your area. Be consistent!

5. LETTER WRITING IS IMPORTANT. Demand a new trial for Mumia!

Gov. Thomas Ridge
Main Capitol Bldg., Rm 225
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-2500 (ph)
(717) 772-8284 (fax)
(717) 783-3369 (fax)

D.A. Lynne Abraham
1421 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 686-8700 (Ph)
(215) 686-8024 (Fax)

Atty. General Janet Reno
Main Justice Bldg.
10th & Constitution Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20053
(202) 514-2000 (ph)
(202) 514-4371 (fax)

6. SUPPORT ICFF-MAJ. We have TREMENDOUS expenses! Help by donating postage, phone cards, photocopying services and dollars so we can BLITZ this country with the DEMAND TO FREE MUMIA and beat back the FOP attacks!

7. TAX FREE DONATIONS TO MUMIA’S LEGAL EXPENSES. Make checks payable to Black United Fund of PA/Mumia Abu-Jamal, earmarked “Legal Fund”. Send to B.U.F., 2227 Broad St., Phila., PA 19132.

8. TAX FREE DONATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY & FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL. Make checks payable to Black United Fund of PA/Mumia Abu-Jamal, earmarked “Organizers.” Send to ICFF-MAJ, Box 19709, Phila., PA 19143.

TOGETHER WE WILL WIN!

EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORKS ACTIVATE NOW!

Contact International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal at Box 19709, Phila., PA 19143, Tel: 215-476-8812; Fax: 215-476-7551; email: mumia@webcom.com for ANY info you need to get the ball rolling in your area!

Lifted this today from a Mumia website - does anybody know if this is still the case, or whether somebody has left the website not updated. Cheers.
 
The following is relevant for prisoner support -
14th June 2007
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Gipfelsoli Infogroup: +49 160/ 953 14 023
Emergency legal service: +49 1577/ 470 4760 and +49 163/ 619 5151


In the days after the G8 protests more and more details of police assaults on demonstrators are being made public. As victims describe their experiences on internet portals, it is becoming apparent that police massively assaulted, insulted, beat and abused people.

Lawyers confirm that many times arrests were brutally carried out. Police refused to tend to injured demonstrators. Instead many of them were brought
directly to mass detention centres.

A group of cyclists were attacked on their way back to the Reddelich camp on
June 2nd. In a dangerous maneuvre, 30 cyclists were stopped on the B105.
They were beaten and pepper-sprayed out of still moving police vans.

At the migration-themed demonstration on June 4th, demonstrators were
threatened by the police. “We will take revenge for Saturday if you continue to demonstrate here”, “Do you want to die?”, “Go, or you won’t see the day out!” The demonstration had been officially registered and proceeded without
disturbances on the side of the demonstrators.

Police units repeatedly tried to provoke participants. Repeatedly pepper spray was used unannounced. That afternoon, “Kavala” made false claims that stones and bottles had been thrown. However, numerous journalists who were present at the demonstration reported the opposite.

On June 5th a mother and her toddler were arrested in a shuttle bus on their
way to the demonstration at the military airport Laage. They were absurdly
accused of masking up on the bus. Even the child’s personal details were taken at the mass detention centre. This abuse only stopped when the child repeatedly turned its head as police tried to force the child to be photographed.

At the fifth police check point on the way to the airport a demonstrator’s car
was tampered with by the police. All of a sudden the fuel injection pump was
missing and the vehicle would no longer start as the group of demonstrators
was encircled by grinning police officers.

Water canons were often deployed at the blockades with no warning by the
police. Some demonstrators were knocked off their feet from behind by still moving water canon vehicles. On June 7th the operation at the “West Gate” near Hinter Bollhagen led to a number of injuries, including a burst ear drum of one demonstrator. Two activists suffered severe eye injuries and one of them is still in hospital. Recordings show how the police unit carrying out the
operation laugh as this happens.

Eye witnesses report that the police did not adhere to giving the 3 warnings they are supposed to before deploying water canons. Merely journalists who were standing around were informed beforehand.

Despite repeated requests, the police did not let medics tend to the
injured.

A “nude demonstration” was also attacked with pepper spray. The gas spread over their whole bodies and led to severe skin irritations.

In the whole of Rostock massive police controls took place. People were
taken into detention for having pen knives, scarfs or even G8 critical literature on them. During one police check one woman was grabbed in the crotch whilst officers made leery noises. Also near Wichmannsdorf camp demonstrators were sexually harassed. On a parking lot near the camp on June 5th, a group of women had to undress in front of all the police officers present.

During police transportation there were further abuses, as one victim
describes.
“The police took off the handcuffs cutting into my hands so that they could
take off my rucksack, threatening to beat me if I moved. To underline their
point, one of the police officers rammed my head against the cell wall. After the police finally left me and other detainees in the cell, we were told not to
speak or else he would ensure that we “would never be able to speak again”.

“In one case a police unit stormed a tram as it stopped, police beat up
everyone dressed in black and then left the tram again immediately”, the legal
investigation board wrote on June 4th.

Many received injunctions for Rostock and Bad Doberan. Often their papers
were marked with “abstained from appeal” or “lawful hearing accorded”. No
instructions were given in any of these cases.

Sources:
• Chronicle of attacks: http://gipfelsoli.org/
• Assessment of the legal investigation board:
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/184501.shtml
• Further reports: http://gipfelsoli.org/Repression
• Comments by victims: http://de.indymedia.org/2007/06/184032.shtml
• Press Releases of the emergency legal service:
http://gipfelsoli.org/Presse
 
from my experience folk banged up are more interested in getting porn mags rather than boring old political stuff.
maybe someone should set up an 'Anarchist BLUE Cross' to facilitate this? :)
 
Save Kenneth Foster

Kenneth Foster, Jr. was sentenced to death in May 1997 for driving a car from which Mauriceo Brown got out and shot Michael LaHood, Jr. Kenneth’s case is currently at a critical juncture, as the state of Texas has recently given him an execution date of August 30, 2007. Kenneth could be killed simply because of the gross misuse of the Law of Parties, simply because, as the Austin Chronicle has put it, he was in “the wrong place at the wrong time.” Kenneth is a founding member of D.R.I.V.E., a group of death row prisoners who organize using methods of nonviolent resistance, to fight for humane conditions on death row in Texas.

Join us for organizing meetings of groups and individuals who want to work together on this campaign every Wend. in Austin Texas. For more information call 512-494-0667 or email cedpaustin@gmail.com or check out http://myspace.com/cedpaustin

The Save Kenneth Foster Campaign is a grassroots non-profit organization with the primary goal of mobilizing statewide support against Kenneth's execution in Texas. We consist of family members, friends, and supporters whom are in Texas... Along with supporters in other U.S. states and in other countries, we believe that Texas should not execute a man simply for driving a car... The sad truth is if you are too poor to afford proper representation and you happen to be a minority, the chances are you will end up in jail and quite possibly on Death Row. We believe that if the public is educated and begins to take action by writing to their local elected representatives and urging them to Free Kenneth we will have succeded in giving you a new knowledge that could ultimately save your life one day as well... For more info and upcoming events or how YOU can become involved...please visit our home site http://www.freekenneth.com or our blog at http://savekenneth.blogspot.com
 
n a wave of massive state repression, 300+ para-military Police, in many cases armed, raided houses around the country on Monday October 15th 2007, making 17 arrests. Search warrants were carried out in Auckland, Whakatane, Ruatoki, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. The warrants mentioned that the Police were searching for evidence for possible charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 (TSA), making this the first time the Act was invoked in a search warrant. The arrestees have been active in the Tino Rangatiratanga, peace and environmental movements and in their communities.

Prominent Tino Rangatiratanga activist Tame Iti was among the first arrested at his home at 4am Monday morning. At 6am raids were carried out at A Space Inside anarchist social centre in Auckland and the 128 activist Community Centre in Wellington. In Tuhoe Country, the towns of Ruatoki and Taneatua were blockaded by armed police for several hours, with no cars allowed in and many searched, including a school bus full of children.

All the arrestees were charged with various breaches of the Arms Act and most recieved multiple charges. Police have said they may still lay further charges, including under the TSA. In order to lay charges under the TSA, Police must get permission from the Solicitor General. All but two of the arrestees, Tame Iti and Jamie Lockett, have recieved name supression.

Since the initial arrests, many people around the country have been questioned by police, more properties have been searched, and one more arrest has been made.

On Tuesday October 16th, Jamie Lockett applied for and was granted bail in the Auckland District Court. Later the same day, the Police appealed to the High Court and bail was revoked. An arrestee was bailed in Palmerston North on Wednesday 17th under restrictive conditions.

Support for the arrestees has been vocal across the country, with many solidarity demonstrations and packed courtrooms. There have also been demonstrations in Australia and messages of support from around the world.


you can find out more information about this on

http://civilrightsdefence.org.nz
 
Freedom for anarchists M. Tsourapas and Chr. Kontorebuthakis
RESISTANCE AGAINST ALL MEANS OF PUBLIC AND SOCIAL CONTROL

SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON

On 5/06/207 the anarchists Marios Tsourapas and Chrusostomos Kontorebuthakis are arrested for the attempt to arson a city security car (city police) at P. Faliro district. A bit later on, near the area a young female student was also arrested and the police tried to involve her at the incident, nomatter her denial but also the testimony of the other 2 arrested. During their arrest they get severely beaten and psychologicall tortured.

On this moment, the female student has been released after the court hearing, but M. Tsourapas and Ch. Kontorebuthakis are still in detention at Koridallos and Aulonas prisons, having taken the full political responsibility of their actions.

Within this general oppression reality that we all live and experience the state tries to repress any uprising ideologically and physically, in order to establish complete social apathy and prevention of any social uprising and struggle. In order to accomplish this, the state, enforces more and more measures of public surveillance and control, aiming the society to live in surender and fear. This fact, is far from obvious, taking in account the CCTV cameras on the streets, the surveillance of telecomunications, even the intensive police patrol of areas and the continuous mondernization of the police in all cities. City police officers (they are different from normal police, basically they are city security) also contribute on this procedure, as they go after immigrants, give fines to people with no control and monitor the streets of the cities telling to the police every "non-normal" behaviour.

Within the social indifference that exists, resistance against this enforcement of state plans is not just neccessary - is the only serious attitude of the ones that struggle against all these repression conditions.

Our solidarity to the ones that are on the state's target, living a life of isolation because of their political actions, is not just self-evident - is the needed requirement for the continuation of our struggle at all the baricades of social - class war.

RESISTANCE AGAINST ALL MEANS OF PUBLIC AND SOCIAL CONTROL

SOLIDARITY IS OUR WEAPON
 
On the morning of the 26th of November the anti-authoritarian B. M. gets arrested and transfered in detention at the police headquartes in Thessaloniki. During Monday, police raids in the centre of the city in a cinema style operation

On midday, a group of undercover police officers together with RIOT police, enter a small cafe and arrests 2 comrades. A few ours later police had deployed in the whole centre of the city and 2 more comrades get arrested at the city centre area while they were working

The attitude of the policemen while interrogating the comrades, was appropriate with the ethos of "democracy". << We are the state and we will always fuck you>>, <<forget lawyers and all this bullshit, here we command>>, and much more that surprises only the ones that still believe that within police officers there is politeness and respect for human dignity.

During the night of the same day and after hours of interrogations the comrades are freed except B.M. Meanwhile a solidarity demo took place outside the police headquarters with anarchists and anti-authoritarians.

On Tuesday 27/11 the police, undercover police and counterterrorism squad progrom, becomes even bigger. All the Upper City is quarded with RIOT police who are even hidding inside nearby monasteries !!

On the same time they enter the houses of comrades by braking their doors and take (or even plant) whatever they like. An another female comrade gets arrested who is again freed after hours of interrogations with no apparent reason, of course treating her with the same "hospitality".

After this progrom and the police running after all political comrades or even friends and relatives will should not remain silent.

The police terrorists are fooled if they believe that we will leave our comrades alone in their hands, the hands of the ones that invade houses, threats and humiliates social fighters.

We were, we are and we will be against them !!

We were, we are and we will be on the side of our comrades !!


COMRADES AHEAD !!

Terra Incognita squat

Thessaloniki 27/11/07



This is the letter from the prison of the arrested comrade.

"On Monday morning on 26/11/2007 while I was asleep at my girlfriend's house, undercover police officers came and arrested me taking me to the Police Headquarters in Thessaloniki, taking with them and my car. They told me that someone had seen my car near the arson at a car sales bussiness in Thessaloniki. At 12 at noon on the same day, on an impressive operation 20 policemen escorted me, handcuffed, back to my girlfriend's house in order to search it. On the same time an another group of policemen was searching the house that I live together with my brother. On Tuesday afternoon, on 17:30 they announced me what I am charged with, without allowing me to have any contact with a lawyer up to that point. I was charged with 5 crimes and 3 misdemeanours, for arson attempt and allready commited, explosion attempt and allready commited, repeatedly, possesion and production of explosives, damage to foreigh property, forming of criminal group, repeated terrorist activity , illegal weapon possesion. They also told me that they would take me to a public attorney in half an hour. They also announced me that for the same inquiry 3 more anarchists are wanted, facing the same charges. From the first moment of my arrest I announced them that I am an anarchist and that I do not accept any of these charges.

It is obvious that the timing of this police opperation is carefully premeditated. On this period of reorganisation of control and repression and attack of any rights and social obtentions, the state and its mechanisms use any means in order to continue rulling. On this case, they criminalise political ideas and comrade relations, using the counterterrorism law and create the internal enemy : the "terrorists" anarchists. The mass media are following this route not caring about any human dignity and respect, in order to gain more publicity.

.
Since the night of Thursday 29th of November 2007 I am in detention awaiting trial, at the prison establishments of Komotini.


The only thing that is certain, is that nothing is over yet and everything will be continued.

SOLIDARITY TO THE ANARCHISTS THAT ARE WANTED FOR THE SAME CASE.


Baggelis Mpotzatzis 30/11/2007

Komotini Prison Establishment"

The announcement and the letter can be found at Athens Indymedia, free translation in engiish by me
 
Dimitris said:
On the morning of the 26th of November the anti-authoritarian B. M. gets arrested and transfered in detention at the police headquartes in Thessaloniki. During Monday, police raids in the centre of the city in a cinema style operation

On midday, a group of undercover police officers together with RIOT police, enter a small cafe and arrests 2 comrades. A few ours later police had deployed in the whole centre of the city and 2 more comrades get arrested at the city centre area while they were working

The attitude of the policemen while interrogating the comrades, was appropriate with the ethos of "democracy". << We are the state and we will always fuck you>>, <<forget lawyers and all this bullshit, here we command>>, and much more that surprises only the ones that still believe that within police officers there is politeness and respect for human dignity.

During the night of the same day and after hours of interrogations the comrades are freed except B.M. Meanwhile a solidarity demo took place outside the police headquarters with anarchists and anti-authoritarians.

On Tuesday 27/11 the police, undercover police and counterterrorism squad progrom, becomes even bigger. All the Upper City is quarded with RIOT police who are even hidding inside nearby monasteries !!

On the same time they enter the houses of comrades by braking their doors and take (or even plant) whatever they like. An another female comrade gets arrested who is again freed after hours of interrogations with no apparent reason, of course treating her with the same "hospitality".

After this progrom and the police running after all political comrades or even friends and relatives will should not remain silent.

The police terrorists are fooled if they believe that we will leave our comrades alone in their hands, the hands of the ones that invade houses, threats and humiliates social fighters.

We were, we are and we will be against them !!

We were, we are and we will be on the side of our comrades !!


COMRADES AHEAD !!

Terra Incognita squat

Thessaloniki 27/11/07



This is the letter from the prison of the arrested comrade.

"On Monday morning on 26/11/2007 while I was asleep at my girlfriend's house, undercover police officers came and arrested me taking me to the Police Headquarters in Thessaloniki, taking with them and my car. They told me that someone had seen my car near the arson at a car sales bussiness in Thessaloniki. At 12 at noon on the same day, on an impressive operation 20 policemen escorted me, handcuffed, back to my girlfriend's house in order to search it. On the same time an another group of policemen was searching the house that I live together with my brother. On Tuesday afternoon, on 17:30 they announced me what I am charged with, without allowing me to have any contact with a lawyer up to that point. I was charged with 5 crimes and 3 misdemeanours, for arson attempt and allready commited, explosion attempt and allready commited, repeatedly, possesion and production of explosives, damage to foreigh property, forming of criminal group, repeated terrorist activity , illegal weapon possesion. They also told me that they would take me to a public attorney in half an hour. They also announced me that for the same inquiry 3 more anarchists are wanted, facing the same charges. From the first moment of my arrest I announced them that I am an anarchist and that I do not accept any of these charges.

It is obvious that the timing of this police opperation is carefully premeditated. On this period of reorganisation of control and repression and attack of any rights and social obtentions, the state and its mechanisms use any means in order to continue rulling. On this case, they criminalise political ideas and comrade relations, using the counterterrorism law and create the internal enemy : the "terrorists" anarchists. The mass media are following this route not caring about any human dignity and respect, in order to gain more publicity.

.
Since the night of Thursday 29th of November 2007 I am in detention awaiting trial, at the prison establishments of Komotini.


The only thing that is certain, is that nothing is over yet and everything will be continued.

SOLIDARITY TO THE ANARCHISTS THAT ARE WANTED FOR THE SAME CASE.


Baggelis Mpotzatzis 30/11/2007

Komotini Prison Establishment"

The announcement and the letter can be found at Athens Indymedia, free translation in engiish by me
Click to expand...

Well done Dimitris and best wishes for your struggles:cool: :cool:
 
Thank you Attica :)

I post this here as it is relevant to my previous post about Thessaloniki pogrom.

On Monday at about 13:00 o clock about 100 anarchists gathered outside the building of the newspaper MACEDONIA in Thessaloniki. They sprayed in and out of the building, stuck posters on the walls and gave out the following announcement:


“On Friday on the 30th of November at the newspaper “MACEDONIA” the photos of our 3 comrades were published, the ones that are wanted by the police. The same photos were also published at the newspaper “TO ETHNOS” and were also shown on the news of various TV channels.

The publishing of the photos was one more move according to the pogrom framework, that the police started last Monday against anarchists, all starting with the arrest of our comrade Baggelis Mpotzatzis. Police swoops at shops and houses, detentions of comrades without any reason, long lasting interrogations, threats and harrasment while the whole Upper City of Thessaloniki is surrounded by RIOT police, undercover policemen and counter terrorism swat teams.

At this pogrom the Mass Media were also active : They were reproducing the police viewpoint and were making it acceptable by the public, prooving for one more time that they are the police's long arm.

But for one more time they exceed every limit. The newspaper “MACEDONIA” is found out to be not just a social informer but the best partner of the state security forces. As modern headhunters, journalists and coppers are looking for an informer who would tell them where the wanted are. On this hunting that started by the real terrorists of this society, the police and the journalists, they will find us against them.

The ones who are supposed to inform the public, but cover up the real crimes that are happening (work “accidents”, immigrant murders, police violence etc) they are nothing else than policemen without uniform, doing excellent police work as they are trying, on their own will, to find informers within the public.

The journalists who do have some dignity (like the reprorter of “Macedonia” newspaper Kostas Koukoumaras who resigned after the publishing of the photos on his article about the issue) are the small minority and are the exceptions that make this rule valid for the majority of journalists. Such lack of dignity can only be found on people that are taking money from undercover police and intelligence services in order to give out information, on the name of “national security” and the “threat to the society” from every different political opinion.

We have had enough with the proffesional informers of the state.

INFORMERS ABACK
LEAVE OUR COMRADES ALONE

Thessaloniki 03/12/2007

Anarchists against Journalist Vagrancy”

The announcement can be found at Athens Indymedia in greek , free translation in english by me

Some photos of the event follows, I have them as a link because they are too big and will strech this thread a lot.

http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/metafiles/2zlgolt.jpg

http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/metafiles/4hjkz2b.jpg

http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/metafiles/5gesaxc.jpg

http://athens.indymedia.org/local/webcast/uploads/metafiles/6z3aqmn.jpg
 
SOLIDARITY TO BAGGELIS PALLIS

Last night the social fighter Baggelis Pallis was severely beaten by the prison guards at the Corinthos prison establishmen, were he is held during the last weeks, with a result to be transferred to the the hospital. Today 7th of December, he was leaded to the police court where 14 more months of detention were added on his imprisonment time.

During the last months the imprisoned social fighters and people from outside the prisons have been trying to present at last the truth that is hidden for years behind the cells of the “democratic” prisons, behind this “monster” that is called “rehabilitation system”. The Prisoners' complains are finaly coming forward, solidarity actions are taking place outside the prisons, there is a common efford from people from inside and outside the prison cells who try to break the silence...

Baggelis Pallis was the first man to be in front of every struggle that had as a target not only the improvement of the detention conditions but also the complete destruction of prisons. For this reason the rehabilitation system is taking its revenge on him, with continues transfers, humiliations, threats, beatings, court hearings and more penalties.


It is our duty to talk.

It is our duty to stand by the fighter Baggelis Pallis and to stop his social, political and humanitarian elimination

It is our duty to respond accordingly to the prison guards who “hide” in themselves the violence they create, who want us to treat them as humans within humans, or just workers who are doing their job.

It is our duty to show our solidarity to Baggelis Pallis

Because Baggelis Pallis was always there for us.

We will be there for him.


PRISON GUARDS ABACK

TORTURERS ABACK

KEEP YOUR HANDS OF BAGGELIS PALLIS


Anarchist Resistance

Thessaloniki 7/12/2007
 
Support Vaggelis Botzatzis, Greek Eco-Prisoner

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (26th of February 2008)

Dear friends

ELP has learnt of a new eco-prisoner in Greece.

Vaggelis Botzatzis has been remanded into custody accused of setting fire to two company cars owned by a energy/power company. It is believed that the person or persons unknown who carried out the arson did so in protest at the destruction of the natural environment and in support of two workers who died at the power plant.

Vaggelis is also accused of setting fire to a bank and starting a fire inside a car yard.

Vaggelis denies all the allagations against him and maintains his innocence.

Please send letters of support to:

Vaggelis Botzatzis
Komotini Juridical Prison ("Dikastikes Fylakes Komotinis")
T.K. 69100
GREECE

Vaggelis can receive short messages of support written in English.

When writing to Vaggelis please remember the authorities do censor his mail so please do not write anything that could be regarded by the authorities as "dangerous". Also the exact charges against Vaggelis, due to a lack of evidence, have not been filed. Therefore do not write anything which could influence the setting of charges.

For more information about Vaggelis or the Greek legal system please contact Greek Earth Liberation Prisoners Support! greekelp@yahoo.gr http://greekelp.blogspot.com

+++++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Greek eco-prisoner news

From: greekelp@yahoo.gr

A Solidarity March was organised in Thessaloniki, on Vaggelis Botzatzis' case. He is detained in Komotini juridicial prison accused for: burning two power company cars protesting the pillage against the nature, and the workers that died in the workplace, a bank arson against capitalism and in favor of anarchists detained for bank robbery, and an arson at a french brand car yard, that is said to be in solidarity to the youth revolts, but no communique was sent. Vaggelis was arrested in his house on day after the last arson under the "anti"terrorist law, since a security guard claims he recognised his car. Vaggelis doesn't accept the accusations and states he was framed up. Some more info on the march at: http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/few-actions-during-solidarity-march.html

if anyone needs any further information on this case, send me an email.

There were also some environmental actions on 24/2 (http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/2008/02/environmental-actions-athens-patras.html)
In spite of some police attention, no one was arrested. Today though, a candidate for the municipal board in Pefkonas, Athens, was attacked by truck drivers, while taking photos of the privatization works against the Pefkonas forest.



Earth Liberation Prisoners Support! - Greece
http://greekelp.blogspot.com

source.

breakthechains..
 
Prison struggle ideas

You are completely right about prisoners fighting back from inside. In
my experience there are a lot of people in there who will be receptive
to encouragement. This is not about inventing the struggles, as
oppression and resistance is already there, it is about making what
resistance there is more political, more joined up, and perhaps with
encouragement with presence on the outside of prisons making a noise for
prisoners inside. The PROP 1970s example is the one way it was done in
another time. It does them good to realise they are not alone.

I also rather liked that Class War/ABC anti prison march around Holloway
in the 1990s, it got a lot of different campaignsers together, and got a
good reception on the streets.

To begin with we would need a campaigning newsletter which was not your
dry boring tract the left normally puts out. It must be funny,
confrontational, and highlight many different campaigns and links. It
should encourage fightback in many different ways, carrying stories of
innocent prisoners, talk about different family campaigns, blasts from
the past and so on. Then we can all try to distribute it, and include it
in mailouts. Prioners should also be encouraged to get on the mailing
list which for efficiency would have to be one address so they could get
every issue which comes out. On the form it should ask for 'sentance
length/expected release date' which would be the date newsletters were
stopped being sent in for them.

So we knew who was short term and who could be the focus of campaigns
for a year or two.
 
a briefing and a translation of his two recent letters


Nikos Kountardas was arrested on 9/1/08 and convicted with 10 days in prison (for "mockery against a policeman"), while he was out on parole, having a warrant against him for 15 months in prison for liftin two banners (against the new sports terror-law and of solidarity to its arrestees) in OAKA olympic stadium. He is also accused -without any evidence- with an explosion against an ETE bank in Ksanthi (a small town in northeastern Greece). He has already spent nearly 18 months in a pre-trial emprisonment accused with beating Christos Polyzogopoulos, a member of PASOK (ex ruling party) and ex-president of the GSEE (sell-out main trade union), since he was "recognised" by Polyzogopoulos in a photo the police had of him as he was arrested during some riots after a soccer match, 9 years before that. Another anarchist accused under that case, Stelios Malindretos is still detained in Dafni mental hospital. Nikos was transfered to Komotini prisons where he abstained from prison food protesting his prosecution. A month later he was moved to Chios juridical prison (Dikastikes Fylakes Xiou, Xios, TK 821 00, Greece), an overpopulated prison in Chios island, where a few months ago, a long-time prisoner in struggle (P. Georgiadis), was beaten by prison guards for distributing political material. Nikos is in a circular hunger strike (one week on, one off) and is determined to go on with a strict hunger strike.

Letter from Komotini prison (15/1/08)


I shall abstain systematically from prison food as a protest against my vengeful detaintion (hunger strike) if these forced (by the police) accusations against me aren't dropped: the conviction of 24/12/07 based upon the new fascist sports terror-law, and I ask for my release, since it isn't rational in the year 2008 to put a man in prison for 15 months for lifting a political banner inside a stadium. While in the same time neo-nazis lift extreme-right symbols and swastikas in any national team's match, and while we have all watched the New Democracy (ruling party) invade in the soccer field beating and punching his way in. The accusation against me is styled upon my so-called "illegal" entrance in the soccer field.

I demand the immediate release of all that imprisoned and fugitives under this inhuman law, whatever team they may support or come from.

I ask to break through this guilty silence around this cruel sports law of Orfanos and turn it together into an ear-piercing howl up the ears og the (ir)responsibles that will make them suspend this terror-law mess, and throw it in the garbage can.

I demand to finish my juridical captivity since Polyzogopoulos' case (I was released 10 days before my 18 month pre-trial imprisonment period ends, so as they could impose a parole with vindictive terms) and to cease this witch-hunt of the authorities against me.

The worst are yet to come

INTENSIFY HOSTILITIES WITH THE SYSTE, UNTIL ITS VERY DESTRUCTION.

SOLIDARITY TO ALL THOSE PROSEVUTED UNDER THIS LAW

FREEDOM FOR ALL PRISONERS

Nikos Kountardas, 15/1/08
 
Letter from Chios Prison (9/3/08)


A few words to my friends and all those concerned about my case. I will begin with a kind request, and I will repeat it at the afterword, so that it can be understood.

It was a totally personal choice to do what I did, of course I don't regret in any case and my desire is to fight myself for my freedom. Even if I have to go all the way to the end, squaring my shoulders to the persecution authorities. It is a deaply political, determinate and irrevocable decision, and I demand that all friends, "friends" and enemies respect that.

From this point on, it is equally respectable, the selection of some persons should they select not to stand in solidarity with me, after this letter. It isn't like me, I don't want and I cannot limitate anyone's freedom. Besides, I consider personally free the one who acts as he -his individuality- desires and of course one doesn't need to bow his head to anyone.

I will disoblige you, but I need to repeat it with capitals: PERSONALLY FREE IS THE ONE THAT DOESN'T BOW HIS HEAD TO ANYONE. So there, as if I wasn't supposed to say it clearly, my freedom is limitated not only by persons and powers superior to me (the prison, the tortures, the isolation, the disciplines) but also by persons equal to me.

On 21/2, I begun a circular hunger strike, I sat down and wrote in a piece of paper my though, my opinions. My own viewpoint. My demands. To project them, to make them exist. The content of my letter was a strict warning to the (ir)responsibles of the Ministry of Justice and of the Ministry of Public Order, stating comprehensively these demands. Still, some friends (without quotation marks) cut my text as non rational, as if their aim is to maintain a "rational order" or a moral attitude.

As far as it concerns my enemies, they didn't even bother to care, kept buisy slandering me.

On the other side, some of my "friends" (quotation marks needed here) agreed upon this cencorship, as it appears because this text might be concidered as a call for insubordonation. (What a coincidence: this is the same reason I got 2 months in jail). In other words that I am supposedly rushing people outside to act.

Come on now, you guys. When I wrote at the postscript of my letter I was thankfull to all those that stood by me in revolutionary solidarity, it didn't mean in any case I demanded or begged for it. What each one does, he does it for his own sake first, and mainly because this satisfies him, whatever one does. And if one's acting in solidarity to another, it is because he thinks he could be in his place, so still he does it for his own sake, for his individuality. For his ego, his strengh.

In any case, since I believe my freedom was limitated, that I was injured by those friends and "friends", I am obliged to insist, no matter how boring it can get, on the matter-of-course. I consider myself a political being, as a personality/individuality, that I "belong" and take part in an insurrectionary milieu, connected by some fundamental points with some other persons (individualities).

Since, so, I am not a member, I do not know of any loyalty and I am not tammed by the rules of "the people", "the movement" or the "party", I decided to walk alone, even if I have to sell my skin dearly. It is of course granted, and I underline this, that any individuality sees upon this old world like I do, is always welcome to communicate, to agree and to join our forces, and achieve more that what an isolated force can achieve. That's all.

And even more, whoever agrees with that and is interested to stand in solidarity with me in the future, should respect my desire, to fight for my freedom myself. It was, besides, a personal decision, to hang these 2 banners in the stadium. Those who still want to do something for me, I have a suggestion for you. I would be delighted if you could act in a double sense: towards the abolition of the fascist "New Athletics Law" and against the N2776/99 law on the disciplines of prisoners.

Friends, apart from any magniloquence and verbal fireworks, there's one thing I have to say to you: the greek stadiums and the greek prisons are a raging vulcano. A year before, in the prison of Nafplion, I sensed the pervasive dissent of the prisoners, and a few days later my predictions came true, with the tremendous insurrection of April. Something similar I feel is going on now, with the wild youth of the stadiums. The rage is really bursting.

Another thing, a common clue: as I have lived up to these situations, I can assure the comrades outside that inside more stadiums and prisons, there are people fighting for the abolition of these 2 laws, that are undoubtedly friendly to our milieu. They are fighters and I am on their side. I am on their side for my own reasons, the side of those "nasty fans" and those "criminals". And, if you don't mind me asking, why is it that since you chant slogand for "FREEDOM FOR ALL" you come to exclude some of them? Even the decent ones? When it comes to you who, motivated by careness or any other damn reason you had in your mind (I am also counting my self) stood by the side of all those "people in struggle", p.e. the students movement, the workers in the fertilizer industry, the dock workers and others, when did you do your self-criticism? I know, silence prevailed, or rather politician reasons, some short of "give us a break, with that buster, Kountardas".

A few additional notes, in conclusion. In the case of Polyzogopoulos, the revolutionary-offensive solidarity was what unlocked my prison door. This is something beyond argument, though I wont make a report on my political activity since the day I left the prison walls behind me. The only one legitimate to judge me is myself. However, I entitle G. Dimitrakis, G. Voutsis-Vogiatzis, the gas-canister bombers, Chr. Tonidou that is out of prison now, V. Botzatzis and also V. Pallis to talk about me, provided they want to, and mainly some other guys their names might never become known to you. The unruly criminals and the incontrollable fans. Learn also that I, Kountardas the hooligan, am prosecuted without any evidence for an explosion at ETE bank of Ksanthi (4.10.2007), in another dirty plot of the antiterror unit. To finish with, as a response to some of the friends, I announce them that I wont "behave" in the prisons I change (3 of them in 2 months) for a series of reasons. The basic is that I don't accept their so called "benefits" p.e. the day-wage. They order you to work, to bow your head, to shut the hell up, and in 4-5 months you will be outside. Thanks but not for me. I 'd rather give my place to a prisoner with a much larger sentence, to someone that needs it more than I do. I decline this little piece of cheese as the whole trap: I refuse to recognise this political sentence against me, since according to their own civil-penal code I shouldn't be in jail in the first place. Personally 1-2 or even 3-4 more or less months in prison don't mean anything to me. Besides, a small piece of freedom allowed isn't freedom at all.

And something else, to have in mind: In the prisons of Chios where I am kept, I could dig my way out, at any time. Due to some certain conditions it is the only easy thing to do. I wouldn't even have a personal cost, since I already face disciplinary charges. Though, there is a lot to gain, in here. The "prisoners under the common law" since they learned about the hunger strike, were prepared for all. I chose not to do anything. I am sure that some pretty smart persons waiting in the corner will say i take advantage of certain situations. I don't even have the patience to reply and explain to most persons that I didn't do that to beg for some solidarity...

WE ARE ALL PRISONERS "OF THE COMMON LAW"

FRIENDLY, "FRIENDLY" AND UNFRIENDLY

PS1: Ah! I sure did -burnt my matress and provoked the tortures in Kassandra prisons, to make the case known.

PS2: To end with it: whatever I do, I do it for me, to conquer my freedom and if I try to find a scondary reason, I would hardly say it is if someone reasonably asks me in the future, if one will find himself in my place, what have you done when you faced this law to object him, or was it you allowed to open the way for this authoritarian law to expand?

Nikos Kountardas, 9/3/08
 
Latest news about the Mumia Abu jamal case is on the websites, here are the protest details;

New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition
www.FreeMumia.com
Hotline 212.330.8029
P.O. Box 16, College Station, NY, NY 10040

Houston, Texas
Friday, March 28 4:30-6:00PM in front of the Harris County Courthouse, 1201 Franklin Street.

There will be a massive protest in Philadelphia on April 19

More information will be posted promptly!
Spread far and wide!

Mobilize for Mumia's Life!

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and All Political Prisoners!
 
Mumia Abu-Jamal: London planning meeting for next protest action

Planning meeting:

Thursday 3 April - 7pm
Artists Room
Conway Hall
Red Lion Square
London WC1
(Nearest tube Holborn)

To prepare for a protest outside the US Embassy at 1pm on Saturday 19
April to coincide with other international protests. Note we have
changed the date to match demonstrations called in Philadelphia and
elsewhere.

All those who want to participate in organising this action are
welcome to attend the planning meeting. Please let us know if you
intend to come and get in touch if you want to discuss any details.

Mumia is innocent!
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal!
Abolish the racist death penalty!


Meeting called by International Bolshevik Tendency
www.bolshevik.org, 07722 044 710
 
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