Till all are free – International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners
In 2013 the groups comprising the Anarchist Black Cross initiated the Week for Anarchist Prisoners, which takes place in the last week of August. The first day, chosen on purpose, is the anniversary of the execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in 1927. It’s important to emphasize the stories of our
comrades, since many of them will not be acknowledged as political prisoners.
Various state services of surveillance requested to speak with comrades as part of ongoing investigations, using the suspects’ political orientation as the only criterion. This orientation is toward anarchism. Every investigation is based on the possibility of prosecuting comrades with the aid of an arsenal of laws aimed against a dangerous domestic enemy.
These prosecutions could involve anything, from texts until any sort of direct action, and this practice is nothing new since similar prosecutions in many
countries of the world have been witnessed in the past, especially those with a strong presence of anarchists who promote direct action and interventions. A tactic of the forces of repression is to prevent anarchist propaganda and the diffusion of our ideas and for that they won’t hesitate to puncture the veneer of “democracy” which supposedly allows the free dissemination of ideas and information. Thus, any illusions people might like to have about democracy come to an end. Things have now become clear, the anarchist action or discourse will either become illegal or mean nothing”! This new form of repression that appeared now, is enforced against many of our captives, even under the guise of international “terrorism” which actually aims to target the domestic enemy that anarchy is. On one hand our captives have been prosecuted based on their political identity and on the other by having taken the political responsibility of their actions and their organizations. The strategy of preventive repression, of persecutions leading to convictions with the maximum possible sentences, of fast-track trials and of an effort to muzzle dissent, is already being enforced against anarchist centres and self-organized efforts that support and disseminate anarchist values. Simultaneously, the latest trial hearings constitute a final rehearsal of a new doctrine the state wants to enforce.
The new type of repression is essentially an upgrade of previous laws (187A etc) which ensures the preventive repression of speech but also legitimates repentance statements on the part of our captives. Writing and disseminating guides of action or texts that promote the anarchist guerilla, are treated like terrorist actions which can lead to many years of imprisonment. In this way the power attempts to estimate reactions and silences and the more we remain in apathy the more these repressive tactics intensify. All these create a chain of repression and muzzling of the anarchist discourse. Within the last few years, more arrests have been made against anarchists than individuals taking part in other movements. Arrests, persecutions, imprisonment and guilty verdicts, have all collectively shaped, due to their high rate, a relatively common situation. It is an offensive strategy aiming to cause shock and create a reality that is compatible with a narrative composed by a bunch of sell-out media and the state.
A few years back, persecutions against imprisoned anarchists for texts they authored was unimaginable, but now the judicial and prosecutorial authorities would respond to that with the use of solitary confinement, disciplinary hearings and conditions that bury prisoners deeper in the cold cells. Some years ago we couldn’t imagine that friendship and family ties to anarchists could lead to long sentences, social and financial disaster and smear campaigns through the media and the internet, where all sorts of lackeys shamelessly target our comrades without having to face any consequences. Power attempts to silence our brothers and sisters and at the same time create a desert of reactions throughout the entire antagonistic movement.
Repression has upgraded its arsenal with laws and decrees, new penal codes, vindictive transfers, isolation and plans to re-create Type C prisons in order to annihilate political prisoners through the use of more torturous “special conditions of detention” and if necessary, until their last breath. Finally, cutting prison furloughs, enforcing disciplinary sentences for ridiculous reasons, etc. But we will have to insist on speaking up and acting. We are aware that our anarchist discourse does not concern many, but we also know that there are still people who refuse to conform. Besides, anarchist actions do not have a starting or expiration date, on the contrary they erupt continuously. It is those people we search for and invite, the ones willing to listen to the voices of our captives and amplify them as much as possible, while concurrently making the nights of a sick and rotten society more exciting with the fumes of gas, menace and rage. There are comrades who don’t forget; our memory is like a sharp razor which manifests in the current of revolt and the gate of action. The words of our captives escape from prison and try to transcend the paper walls they‘ve been confined in and turn into actions. It’s a form of communication for the support and promotion of their texts in order to show the state that they are not alone. In this judicial menace against them our words are a weapon and our practical solidarity toward anarchist prisoners is a bullet in the head of power.
The dissemination of anarchist discourse is one of the greatest fears of every kind of authority. We want to justify these fears. That is why we will not stop acting for as long as we breathe. Because anarchist discourse is the quintessence of a life we define through our actions. So we tell them again in order to erase any doubts-
UNTIL THE ABOLITION OF ALL CELLS AND CAGES WE WON’T STEP EVEN SLIGHTLY BACK
That is who we are, nothing more, nothing less.
FREEDOM TO OUR CAPTIVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS PRACTICAL SOLIDARITY TO OUR ANARCHIST HOSTAGES
The Idea collective and Mpalothia (Greece)
