June 11th, 2017: Roundup of Actions Around the World

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Communication is a weapon: June 11^th 2017

This year, the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason and All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners emphasized how communication aids our struggles against prison society and disrupts the isolation imposed on comrades who are locked up for the long term.

The state aims to make our comrades disappear, but we want their names and deeds spread throughout the world. During the months preceding June 11, word was circulated far and wide about both our imprisoned comrades and the upcoming day of solidarity. Newly designed June 11 promotional materials – including stickers, flyers, and posters – reached individuals, social centers, and distribution projects around the world. The call for June 11^th this year was translated into French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

We conducted several moving and insightful interviews with former prisoners and outside supporters, who eloquently wove connections between past and current struggles. Solidarity with long-term prisoners can strengthen our struggles by forcing us to look back and learn from theirs, and deepen our collective memory.

As June 11^th has come and gone, we want to affirm again that our commitment to our imprisoned comrades is not limited to one day, but extends in all directions.

We express continued solidarity with Kara Wild and Krème, as well as Damien Camelio, captives of the French state who remain with us in our struggles.

We do not forget our comrade sentenced to 7.5 years for robbing PaxBank in 2014.

In Italy, the state continues its attempt to disrupt efforts of solidarity with the anarchists ensnared in operation Scripta Manent – now investigating RadioAzione, Anarhija.info, and Croce Nera Anarchica. Knowing that our infrastructure for counter-information and prisoner solidarity are essential to our revolt, the state seeks to demobilize them through its usual course of raids, restrictions, and disruption. We send unending solidarity to the comrades in Italy, who in their unwillingness to forfeit these weapons, show that insurgent hearts will not be stopped by the state’s petty machinations.

We send our love to comrade Davide Delogu, who, in his stubborn refusal to accept being locked in a cage by brutal pigs, attempted to free himself.

And finally, we encourage everyone to organize events and take action for the upcoming International Day of Solidarity with Eric King on June 28^th. Eric’s uncompromising spirit in the face of persecution keeps our hearts strong as we navigate and fight against this world that is not ours.

(We’d also like to remind those who raised funds for Marius this year to donate via his support page, rather than sending money directly to his commissary fund.)

The following is a collection of event reportbacks, prisoner statements, and actions taken for June 11^th in 2017.

PRISONER STATEMENTS

Sean Swain

Michael Kimble

Krow

Eric King

REPORTBACKS

Athens (Greece): Action against Evelpidon Court

Australia: Graffiti and banners

Bloomington, Indiana (USA): Banner drop for Marius Mason

As a small, anonymous gesture of complicity, we hung two banners to honor June 11, day of solidarity with long-term anarchist prisoners. These banners are on the main north/south roads into and out of Bloomington. No matter how long he is held at FMC Carswell or in any other cage, we will make sure Marius isn’t forgotten here, especially given the vital role he played in defending the land and building a community of resistance in our region.

Bloomington, Indiana (USA): Movie showing, letter writing, picnic, wheatpasting

While our efforts this year were modest, they exist within a continuum of action for our imprisoned comrades that manifests every day. We take time on June 11th to remember and act for imprisoned anarchists, but this does not stop when the clock strikes midnight. For us, solidarity is not a one-off event, an act of charity, or something removed from our daily lives – it is an inseparable part of our existence as anarchists, a tension affirmed through action. Solidarity is the word in our mouths, the rock in our hand, and the blood in our veins.. The prison walls cannot break us.

Brisbane (Australia): Benefit for Jock Palfreeman

Anti-Fascist Action Brisbane had a fucking rad night tonight. We had a film screening and raised some money for the Free Jock Palfreeman Committee. We are in total solidarity with Marius Mason, Eric King, the comrades in CCF, YPG/J, IPRGF and all anarchists fighting.

Denton, Texas (USA): Food sharing & letter writing

Around a dozen anarchists gathered in Denton, TX to host a public food sharing in a popular, centrally located park, and to write letters of support to long term anarchist political prisoners and prison rebels. It is important to us that we stay in contact with radicals and prison rebels being held captive by the state. We want to make sure that our comrades know that they are not alone, despite the isolating conditions of captivity. As we shared food, wrote letters and made art together, we thought about Marius, Krow, Sean, Jeremy, Kara Wild and many other friends who may be locked up, but who will never be forgotten.

Derry (Ireland): Banner drops for political prisoners

Each year, June 11th serves as a day for us to remember our longest imprisoned anarchist comrades through words, actions and ongoing material support.

Anarchists in Derry took part in a Banner Drop today to high light the continued imprisonment of political prisoners. Several banners, displayed at Free Derry Corner, were used as part of its part in a day of action and international solidarity. For 13 years, anarchists and environmentalists have observed June 11th as a day of action to mobilise around our imprisoned comrades.

Over that time, the pace of revolt has quickened, with so many uprisings, clashes, attacks, indictments, raids, mass arrests, grand juries, and deaths. In this constantly shifting terrain, it’s easy to lose track of the origins of our traditions. For anarchists our goal is to mark June 11th as we work throughout each year to ensure that our imprisoned comrades will not be forgotten.

In solidarity anarchists locally will continue to support political prisoners and in particular highlighting the ongoing incarceration of Tony Taylor, a local republican activist interned by the British State without charges, without trail or legal justice.

Elgin, Illinois (USA): Art against gentrification

Today in solidarity with Marius Mason and long term anarchist prisoners some of us decided to be artistic! Inspired by Elgin’s advertisement for public art alongside its hip new reconstructive (gentrifying) city landscape, we have a piece of artwork of our own to display. We found a welcoming post at the busy intersection of Highland and State St. for all to view while waiting for the lights to change.

Armed with anger, there is an artist in every single one of us; an artist with an arsenal of creative potential to be discovered through action. Ungovernability can be the art of evasion and acting out against the laws of conformity and passive obedience. And there is so much fun to be had. With every single attack against this prison society, there is an artistic element of creativity materializing it’s destruction.

Free all prisoners!
War against the industrial-capital machine!
Nothing less than total liberation!
– Elgin Art and Anarchy Club

Exarchia, Athens (Greece): Banner drop for Michael Kimble

On Sunday June 11 2017, international day in support with long-term anarchist prisoners, we dropped a banner from Themistokleous 58 squat in solidarity with the comrade Michael Kimble, incarcerated in Holman prison, Alabama.

Michael Kimble is a gay black anarchist serving a life sentence for taking out a white homophobic racist. Even though he has been held captive for three decades, Michael keeps resisting the everyday imprisonment by all means necessary, and also propagates violent rupture with all Power.

With this banner we send him back some of the strength we get whenever we read his incendiary texts. Hold strong, comrade: your ideas and determination reverberate to the other side of the ocean.

NO PEACE WITH THE PRISON-SOCIETY!

Chaoten

Fort Worth, Texas (USA): Demonstration at Carswell federal prison

After 3 days of networking, movement building and organizing at the Fight Toxic Prisons (FTP) Convergence in Denton, TX, approximately 50 organizers and revolutionaries from across the country gathered outside the Carswell federal prison Monday morning, June 5, 2017. The protest marched to the remote back gates of the facility, which is located on a massive military base that has a long history of environmental contamination and contains a repressive, secretive Administrative Unit.

Today’s demonstration kicked-off of an international effort to demand the immediate closure of Carswell’s Administrative Unit, a unit similar to draconian Communication Management Units. The Carswell Admin Unit has been used to isolate female and trans political prisoners as well as prisoners with serious mental health needs.

Armed with a mobile sound system and bullhorn, the demonstration was able to create a loud disruption for guards and establish contact with prisoners across the razor wire fences with amplified chants of “You are not forgotten, you are not alone, we will fight to bring you home!”

Prisoners replied with waves and raised fists as they viewed banners reading “Close Carswell Admin Unit Now!”, “Free Aafia Siddiqui” and “Fight Toxic Prisons.”

Demonstrators highlighted political prisoners currently held in the facility, such as Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Marius Mason and Ana Belen Montes, all of whom have experienced extreme sentences and isolation as a result of their political and/or religious affiliations.

They also noted a decade of extensive complaints regarding abuse, mold and medical neglect among the general population, handing out a printed collection of these stories in the surrounding neighborhood and passers-by.

For more info visit CloseCarswell.wordpress.com and FightToxicPrisons.org
If you want to help support the above prisoners, please see their websites:
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui: www.aafiamovement.com
Marius Mason: www.supportmariusmason.org

Ithaca, New York (USA): Graffiti for June 11th & Marius Mason

Graffiti found in Ithaca, NY along Cascadilla Creek. Written in solidarity with Marius Mason and all anarchist prisoners on June 11th.

Komotini (Greece): Banner drop for Sean Swain

On Monday, June 12th 2017, we hung a banner at the Old Law School in Komotini as a small sign of solidarity with all long-term anarchist prisoners. We do not forget the comrade Sean Swain.

– Utopia A.D. anarchist squat

Melbourne (Australia): Action at Flinders St station

We acknowledge that we are standing on stolen land and respect traditional owners and sovereignty never ceded, aboriginal deaths in custody in so called Australia must stop as Aboriginal prison rates soar despite recommendations in to the royal commision into aboriginal deaths in custody since 1987, as in recommendation 92: Imprisonment should be utilised only as a sanction of last resort. Solidarity to long term anarchist prisoners. Their inside for us we are outside for them. But we can not forget about the prison industrial complex within australia that is part of the colonisation of so called australia. Solidarity to all long term anarchist prisoners.

New Orleans, Louisiana (USA): Banner & graffiti

New York City, New York (USA): Graffiti in solidarity with Marius Mason

We just wanted to share a message writ large in the belly of the beast that Marius might enjoy. We wrote ‘Visualize Industrial Collapse’ approximately 90 feet wide and 8 feet tall on a fence in Brooklyn with the infrastructure and financial symbols of Manhattan across the East River as a backdrop.

We weep at the thought of the heinous, all-too-familiar devastation called Progress that was wrought on the once lush forests of these islands after settler-colonialism forced the indigenous Lenape off of them. We grow tired of the condo-dwelling yuppies that displace us through gentrification. We hone our skills, preparing to attack.

For anarchy, against civilization.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA): Posters for anarchist prisoners

As a small show of solidarity with anarchist prisoners I put up posters in West Philly and South Philly. Along the way I also took down some annoying infowars and right libertarian stickers.

Fire to the Prisons
For a Dangerous June

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA): Sabotage of machines for Dangerous June

During the first half of dangerous June some machines decided to experiment with freedom. They expressed their solidarity with J20 arrestees and anarchists facing repression worldwide before taking their own liberating actions:
* Four security cameras flew away from their posts to see the rest of the world.
*A digital advertising billboard by a highway got a makeover.
*Four fare checking machines tried new foods and got constipated.
*A door to a security force’s building chose to sleep in and delay work.
-Mutinous Machines Solidarity Cell – Philadelphia

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA): Solidarity march

Pittsburgh anarchists held a march in solidarity with anarchist prisoners on June 11th, 2017. Full marching band in tow, the group disrupted traffic patterns and whatever the fuck else gross yuppie shit goes down on Butler Street, Pittsburgh’s “hipster” strip. Banners in solidarity with Eric King, Marius Mason, and Fernando Bárcenas were on display, along with other anti-prison banners.

After the march, a picnic and info fair was held near by, where t-shirts and buttons were traded in exchange for commissary funds for Joseph Buddenberg, Nicole Kissane, Eric King, and Marius Mason.

Until Every Cage Is Empty

Portland, Oregon (USA): Tabling & food distribution

Stanwood, Michigan (USA): Demonstration at Nestle’s Ice Mountain bottling plant in hometown of Marius Mason

Lake Effect EF! demonstrated at Nestle’s Ice Mountain bottling plant on June 11 in Stanwood MI, the hometown of Marius Mason. Marius had organized with Sweetwater Alliance against Nestle’s bottling plant and waterwells in Mecosta County, as well as the water shut offs in Detroit in the early 2000’s.

Nestle is currently seeking a permit to increase their withdrawal at White Pine Springs Well #101 from 250 gallons per minute to 400 gallons per minute. Additionally water shutoffs continue in Detroit with 19,000 residents currently losing their access to water. Bottled water has been utilized as a false solution to the Flint Water Crisis. Rather than being solutions, privatization and water table depletion will only continue to create more ecological and social problems.

We stand in solidarity with Marius and all long term anarchist prisoners. UNTIL ALL ARE FREE!
-LEEF!

Tampere (Finland): Solidarity for June 11th

Thessaloniki (Greece): Placement of incendiary device

We perceive anarchist and antiauthoritarian spaces as structures in which we organize struggles and live collective moments outside the authoritarian relations that the State and capitalism would like to impose on us daily.

Lately, the State has carried out various attacks against squats and hangouts in Athens, Thessaloniki, Agrinio and Larissa.

In response to these attacks, during the night of 11th to 12th June 2017, we placed an incendiary device in a van belonging to AKTOR company on Makedonikis Amynis Street in Thessaloniki.

We know that this company constructs the enemy’s structures, such as the Skouries mine in the Halkidiki Peninsula, that destroys the earth for the benefit of capitalists, or the Thessaloniki metro, intended to support and strengthen the flow of capital.

We chose June 11th, international day of solidarity with anarchist prisoners facing long sentences, to express our solidarity with all captive comrades worldwide.

Fire to all prison cells.
Death to the State and Capital.
Direct action for anarchy.

EVENTS

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA (USA)
Vegan cookout, presentations, and movie showing

AUSTIN, TEXAS (USA)
Fundraiser, live music, silkscreening

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA (USA)
Anarchist reading group The Sun Still Rises by CCF
Screening of Sacco & Vanzetti & letter writing
Anarchist picnic & music

BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA)
Film Screening of Chasseur de Skins

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (USA)
Political Prisoner letter writing Dinner

BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
Almuerzo fraterno por lxs presxs anarquistas de large condena

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (USA)
Letter writing party

CHICO, CALIFORNIA (USA)
Benefit screening of If a Tree Falls

CINCINNATI, OHIO (USA)
Goth/punx party! in solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners

COLUMBUS, OHIO (USA)
Listening party and potluck

DENTON, TEXAS (USA)
Fight Toxic Prisons 2017 Convergence

HELSINKI (FINLAND)
Vegan ice cream brunch to support anarchist prisoners

HOUSTON, TEXAS (USA)
Film showing and dinner

HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA (USA)
Punk show for June 11th

LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA (USA)
Film screening & fundraiser

LIVE OAK, FLORIDA (USA)
Solidarity rally at Suwannee Correctional

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
Action at Flinders Street Station

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (USA)
Letter writing, potluck, and movie screening

MONTPELIER, VERMONT (USA)
Potluck & letter writing

MONTREAL (CANADA)
Game Night

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA (USA)
Potluck & letter writing

OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON (USA)
Sing Me Home: Album Release and Benefit Show

OMAHA, NEBRASKA (USA)
Fundraiser for anarchist prisoners

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)
All you can eat vegan cookout

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)
March & picnic

PORTLAND, OREGON (USA)
Call for Community Food Distribution

RUTLAND, OHIO (USA)
Musical lunch-in with songs by Marius

TORONTO, ONTARIO (CANADA)
Letter writing & movie screenings

YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN (USA)
Street party & benefit concert