darknights – Page 70

Thessaloniki, Greece: Responsibility claim for arson attack on COSMOTE van in solidarity with Giannis Michailidis & anarchist prisoners

Posted on 2023/06/04 - 2023/06/04 by darknights

VICTORY IN THE HUNGER STRIKE OF GIANNIS MICHAILIDIS

Once again dystopia is dangerously close to us. The state is constantly inventing new ways to undermine more and more our living conditions. Labour rights are now a thing of the past as partial employment contracts, the daily dismissal of trade unionists, often fatal work accidents, wage cuts, and the repayment or non-payment of bonuses under extortionate conditions are the status quo. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly shamelessly obvious how expendable our lives are to the state apparatus. The 57 murders in Tempe, the daily deportations and repatriations of migrant women on equally murderous terms, and the more ‘indirect’ method of the state’s death policy by raising the prices of everyday products, electricity and gas, as well as rents. Of course, even if you have to pay for all this, no one can guarantee that the next day you will still have a house to live in, since there is no longer any protection of the first home and the cops and prosecutors may appear one day in your living room and literally throw you out on the street within a few hours with all the things you have managed to collect.

To enable this condition to be established, a lot of money was spent on hiring cops from every service and buying official vehicles, placing them in ‘key’ places like squares, universities, hills and playgrounds. Apart from their physical presence, the state is more present than ever before through the installation of cameras on every corner, illegally or legally placed, and through the microphones and cameras on our mobile phones. No longer is the ‘big brother’ a fictional character from a novel, but the terrifying everyday life in which we live and grow up, where social control is brutal and universal.

The context of modern totalitarianism could not fail to include the further “upgrading” of the prison system and prisons. The state and those in power, known for their fetishism in punishing and torturing anyone who opposes them, are constantly reinforcing the dungeons of democracy, aiming at the complete annihilation of the imprisoned militants. Thus, in the winter of 2022, in a more comprehensive attempt to fortify the state against the social upheaval that prevailed, the new penal code is passed. According to it, type C prisons were reintroduced under the name of ”maximum security prisons”, disciplinary procedures were tightened, the conditions for granting leave and for the temporary dismissal of those prosecuted under 187A or accused of robbery and drug offences were changed, thus discrediting the position of political prisoners. It also introduces a ban on the transfer of certain categories of prisoners to rural prisons. Continue reading “Thessaloniki, Greece: Responsibility claim for arson attack on COSMOTE van in solidarity with Giannis Michailidis & anarchist prisoners” →

U$A: 2023 Statement from Marius Mason for June 11 EN/ES

Posted on 2023/06/04 - 2023/06/04 by darknights

Dear Community, Family and Friends,

Thank you for the work you are doing to make the change we need to make into the world for our collective survival. Your dedication, support and love are a constant source of inspiration and motivation for me; and I am betting for other prisoners, as well.

This has been as eventful year and a half here at FCI Danbury. My transfer to a male facility had been viewed with great trepidation both by those supportive of trans people and by those who are adamantly opposed to our existence. I’ve had many memorable experiences; some humiliating, some merely annoying and awkward. But, also several that have been rewarding and deeply affirming.

There has definitely been a sense of working things out as we go—the way strip searches have been conducted has been all over the board. Sometimes they have been done by one male staff person, sometimes by one female staff person and several times by several male staff people. Strip searches occur before and after visits, before and after medical trips out, and also when going into the SHU (I had to go there before a medical procedure to fast).

I missed one that was conducted down at the Rec when a fight between inmates was suspected. For the most part, as embarrassing as strip searches can be (they definitely trigger my dysphoria), most staff have been professional about them. There have been some unprofessional remarks made on occasion, though, that have been dehumanizing and dispiriting, but actually have happened a lot less often than I was expecting. A nice surprise. Continue reading “U$A: 2023 Statement from Marius Mason for June 11 EN/ES” →

U$A: Eric King Statement for June 11, 2023 EN/ES

Posted on 2023/06/04 by darknights

Greetings comrades. Let me tell you about this prison, the federal supermax ADX [in Florence, Colorado]. In this joint there are different levels and units with varying levels of physical isolation and communication, but there are things we all experience. Everyone is locked down at least 21 hours a day, at max 24. When you have inside rec you are by yourself in a room without a pull up bar. Outside rec cages are 8 x 10 foot dog kennels surrounded by concrete walls and a chain link roof — a cage within a cage. Unless you are in the pre-release unit (K-A) or long-term elder unit (K-B), you will never be in the same room as another person. And even in those units you only come around your ‘group’ — which is one to four other people — for inside rec. The other 22 ½ hours are in your cell by yourself. I have been in C-unit, the discipline unit and K-A; there is one other person in my group.

The cells are sparse. Concrete walls and double doors make any communication between convicts very difficult. Cells feature a low concrete beed, an oddly shitty mattress, a concrete desk, concrete stool, and in some units, a shelf above the desk. You never have solo interactions with staff — you are always double-manned with one of them carrying a steel baton, and you’re always cuffed behind your back. Depending on the unit, you can get 4–10 calls per month. I’ve made two ‘live-monitored’ calls in the past 10 months, but I’m being told that by participating in psychology programs I’ll earn a few calls per month. Time will tell. We’re allowed five visits per month, all non-contact in a concrete booth over the phone. All visits have to be scheduled in advance, which can be difficult with such restricted communication. I’m the only Anarchist here, but I’m definitely not the only political prisoner. Within this prison there is a group of prisoners the US government has attempted to bury. The general abolitionist community has consented to this, and it’s devastating.

The most restrictive unit in the most restrictive prison in America is H-Unit, which is for people on SAMS (Special Administrative Measures). These restrictions are placed by the Attorney General, and they are sickening. SAMS vary per captive, but all entail only being allowed to write to direct blood family and your lawyer. The FBI must read and approve all letters, magazines, and books. Calls are severely limited, live-monitored by the FBI, and reviewed by magistrate judges. These convicts get three showers per week. The vast majority of people on SAMS are Muslim and foreign born. Because their families are in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, or in Africa, it is nearly impossible to get visits, calls, or mail. These people will never see their families or home countries again. Their children will get married, have kids, grow old, and they will never know it. If that doesn’t make you sick, I don’t even know what we’re doing here. Continue reading “U$A: Eric King Statement for June 11, 2023 EN/ES” →

Dresden, Germany: Antifascist Lina E. Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison

Posted on 2023/06/04 - 2023/06/04 by darknights

On Wednesday (31st May), the judgment in the so-called “Antifa Ost” trial was spoken before the Higher Regional Court in Dresden. Several anti-fascists were accused of forming a “criminal association” that is said to have committed attacks against fascist forces. Members of the far right-wing scene in Leipzig, Wurzen and Eisenach are said to have been “brutally beaten up”. The supposed victims were the squads of the young nationalists and the identitarian fascist movement.

Lina E., was accused of being the “mastermind” of the anti-fascist Leipzig group by the Federal prosecutor’s office, who asked for a prison sentence of eight years. She was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for taking part in a series of attacks on neo-Nazis and other fascists over a period of two years.

Three other antifascists, Lennart A, Jannis R and Jonathan M, are alleged to have joined forces with her by the end of 2019. The men were sentenced to between 27 months and 39 months in prison.

Concrete evidence was in short supply during the trial; instead the political conviction of the accused was decisive.

Lina E has been in custody since her arrest on November 5, 2020. The other suspects have remained free.

Among the attacks she was accused of helping orchestrate was a 2020 incident, in which antifascists beat a group of six fascists returning from a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden.

The event regularly attracts neo-Nazis and other fascists.

In the run-up to the trial, the accused have always received broad support from the anti-fascist movement. A nationwide demonstration against the persecution of the anti-fascist movement in Leipzig is planned for Saturday (3rd June), which will begin at 5 p.m. in Wolfgang-Heinze-Strasse.

Source: Abolition Media

UK: Wales, and West Utilities Attacked (Solidarity with the Cardiff rioters)

Posted on 2023/05/30 by darknights

Source: Act for freedom now!

THEN
A reminder to those whose memory fails them…..
On Saturday 13th June 2020 large numbers of people defied lockdown restrictions to resist the eviction of Glenfrome Road. GRC Baliffs attempted to clear a big traveller site on the old gas works site in Bristol.

Despite the large police presence, and the increased use of state power through the ‘Coronavirus Act’, the eviction went on for over 12 hours and solidarity was strong. GRC failed to evict the site.

NOW
The company that paid for the eviction was Wales and West Utilities.
They have just built a new £4 million Gas Haulage Depot on the Glenfrome Road site, and its up and running so we thought we’d pay them a visit.

In the early hours of Friday 26th May, shots were fired with a slingshot over the perimeter fence of Wales and West Utilities, taking out two large first floor windows… A small reminder that we hold grudges, and that there are many ways to resist.

Wales and West Utilities talk of ‘sustainability’ (the site is part of their “commitment to biodiversity”) and new gas tech… Bristol City Council have helped fund the site. Wales and West own 35,000km of gas pipeline.

Near the depot (unconnected to us) we noticed some graffiti: “Power to the Peaceful!” but we don’t buy that concept…. and have no time for “pacifism”……. in the face of ecological collapse…. we call for rage and rowdy responses. Not peacefulness…

The police were not peaceful when they used grenades at Saint-Soline against those who resisted the mega-basin. Solidarity with Serge Duteuil-Graziani who is in a coma and sustained major head injuries due to the grenades.

The police were not peaceful when they killed Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans in Cardiff this week. Solidarity with the Cardiff rioters!

Many companys with a shiny public image like Wales and West Utilities
pay baliffs to do their dirty work…. Evicting people is big
business, and there will be many more in Bristol this summer.
There were beautiful riots when the ‘Police Crime Sentencing and courts Bill’ (PCSC) was passed (strength to those inside or awaiting trial!).

This action is a reminder that the bill doesn’t just effect those resisting, it also criminalises people’s way of life if they choose not to live in homes made of bricks.

For a summer of disobedience and anarchy!
See you on the streets!

Cardiff, Wales, UK: A riotous night of vengeance, rage and defiance

Posted on 2023/05/25 by darknights

Source: Act for freedom now!

Continue reading “Cardiff, Wales, UK: A riotous night of vengeance, rage and defiance” →

Italy: Dayvid was transferred from Civitavecchia prison to Viterbo prison (May 2023)

Posted on 2023/05/25 - 2023/05/25 by darknights

Dayvid, an anarchist arrested during the summer of 2022 in Greece for the definitives of the “October 15” trial, was transferred to Viterbo. To write to him:

Dayvid Ceccarelli
C. C. di Viterbo
strada S. Salvatore 14/B
01100 Viterbo

We remind you of the coordinates of the solidarity fund:

Letterhead: Gaia Taino
Postepay number: 5333 1711 6663 2741
IBAN: IT38M3608105138230559830588

Dayvid free.
All* free*.
Fire to the galleys.

[Received by e-mail and posted at https://lanemesi.noblogs.org/post/2023/05/24/dayvid-e-stato-trasferito-dal-carcere-di-civitavecchia-a-quello-di-viterbo-maggio-2023/]

Providencia, Chile: Claim of the explosive attack against Fundación Paz Ciudadana by the Brígadas Anárquicas Luis Ramírez Olaechea (May 22, 2023)

Posted on 2023/05/25 by darknights

Claim of the explosive attack against Fundación Paz Ciudadana by the Brígadas Anárquicas Luis Ramírez Olaechea (Providencia, Chile, May 22, 2023)

Claim of the explosive attack on Fundación Paz Ciudadana

Those who have been here, in the minority and diffuse practice, know that failing an attack is part of the many probabilities that arise in the bravery of the street, when we believe that everything is going well, we are surprised that something escapes from what was arranged and planned.

Deciding on an electrical system to detonate an explosive charge is not a whimsical decision, it is the result of studying the objectives, our forces and our resources for action. With a quick entry and withdrawal from the environment we prioritize the safety of our comrades, understanding that the materials at our disposal come and go, while the life and freedom of our brothers and sisters is the most valuable component of the arsenal.

These bitter situations are softened when we know from practice that although the State, police and prosecutors are careful to protect their territories, neighborhoods, institutions and infrastructures, the attack is still possible in contexts of control and passivity. The attack does not come to life in fervent virtual slogans, it is a threat when it bursts into the streets.

In the face of a mistake we could remain comfortably silent but we are proud to persist in action, charged with memory and militant solidarity. We take the words of the comrades in Bolivia, “Long live all the efforts of the anarchic struggle!” because to advance vertiginously along the paths of confrontation is a victory for our revolutionary horizons. We continue, we know that nothing is over and everything continues, and that our only defeat will be not to try.

On the objective

On April 2, 1992, a gang dressed in suits and ties burst into a large house located on the corner of Valenzuela Castillo and Marchant Pereira streets in the Providencia district in broad daylight to found what we know today as the Fundación Paz Ciudadana (Citizen Peace Foundation). No newspaper or television channel dared to treat them as high-risk criminals, despite the fact that among the attendees that afternoon were Agustín Edwards (great financier of the socio-political destabilization in the 70’s) and other prominent figures of Chilean political corruption such as Carlos Alberto Délano, as well as Nicolás Ibáñez and Nicolás Ibáñez, as well as Nicolás Ibáñez, a well-known ultra-right-wing businessman, who when he ran D&S boasted a life-size bust of Pinochet in the middle of his living room, and other members of Chile’s most powerful business groups such as Bernardo Matte and Guillermo Luksic.

Fundación Paz Ciudadana emerged when the longed-for social peace of the agreed transition was cracking and a hard blow was dealt to one of the country’s wealthiest families. A split of the Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez kidnapped Cristián Edwards, Agustín’s son. After this event, the need for an anti-crime plan and a new Penal Code became urgent, since it could not be allowed the audacity of stalking the magnates of this estate. Continue reading “Providencia, Chile: Claim of the explosive attack against Fundación Paz Ciudadana by the Brígadas Anárquicas Luis Ramírez Olaechea (May 22, 2023)” →

Émile Henry (Sept. 26, 1872 – May 21, 1894)

Posted on 2023/05/24 - 2023/05/24 by darknights

Source: La Nemesi

Émile Henry (Sept. 26, 1872 – May 21, 1894)

“Comrades, courage. Long live anarchy!” On May 21, 1894, the anarchist Émile Henry was guillotined. A few words for a comrade who dedicated his short and intense life, integrally and to the end, to anarchy. So many years have passed – well over a century of actions, dreams, revolutions – and the revolutionary will of this comrade continues to shine with the infinite wonderful facets of our ideal. Émile is immortal.

Aphorisms

Once, the cloister opened for souls weary or disgusted with the spectacles of the world, today we have no other refuge than in hospitals and prisons.

What do anarchists want? The autonomy of the individual, the development of his free initiative, which alone will be able to assure him all possible happiness. If the anarchist admits communism as a social conception, it is by simple deduction, because he understands that it is only in the happiness of all, free and autonomous as he is, that he will find his own happiness.

When a man, in today’s society, becomes a conscious rebel of his own action-and such was Ravachol-it is because he has done in his brain a painful work of analysis whose conclusions are imperative and cannot be evaded except by cowardice. He alone holds the scales, he alone is judge of the right or wrong of hating and being savage, “even fierce.”

I believe that acts of brutal revolt are right, because they wake up the masses, shake them like a violent lash, and show them the vulnerable side of the Bourgeoisie still all trembling at the moment when the Rebel goes up to the gallows.

Everyone has a special physiognomy and attitudes that differentiate him from his fellow fighters. Thus, we are not surprised to see revolutionaries so divided in the direction of their efforts. We wonder what good tactics are: they are everywhere proportional to the amount of energy brought to the action. But we recognize no one’s right to say, “Only our propaganda is the good one; outside of it there is no salvation.” It is an old residue of authoritarianism born of true or false reason that libertarians must not tolerate.

Do what you think is best and do it with love.

To those who say, “Hate does not breed love,” answer that it is love, alive, that often breeds hate.

Hate that rests not on low envy, but on a generous feeling, is a healthy and powerfully vital passion.

The more we love our dream of freedom, strength and beauty, the more we must hate that which opposes its future.

In the history of human progress there is only one party; it is the party of movement.

Socialists do not want to understand that the freedom of the individual is necessary to the true freedom of the people.

In the dedication of his book, From the Other Side, Alexandre Herzen specifies a truly revolutionary and effective attitude when he says, “We do not build, we demolish; we do not announce new revelations at all, we suppress the old lie.” This book by Herzen is full of flashes and revelations, but there is no lack of biting remarks in it either: it is a good book for the prison; and away from the street I like to take it as an echo: “The French cannot rid themselves of the idea of monarchical organization; they have a passion for police and authority; every Frenchman is in his soul a police commissioner; he loves alignment and discipline; everything that is independent, individual, irritates him; he understands equality only as leveling and willingly submits to the arbitrariness of the police as long as everyone submits to it. Put a chevron on a Frenchman’s hat and he becomes an oppressor, he begins to oppress anyone who does not wear that rank; he demands respect towards authority.”

There is one right that overrides all others; it is the right to insurrection. Continue reading “Émile Henry (Sept. 26, 1872 – May 21, 1894)” →

Greece: Hunger strike from 12/5/23 of the anarchist prisoner comrade Giannis Michailidis

Posted on 2023/05/24 by darknights

Hunger strike from 12/5/23 of the anarchist Giannis Michailidis

Recognizing that there are social issues more important than my release from prison, I am making a second attempt to publicize the dirty war I have received from government and judicial mechanisms. I will refrain from going into what had happened up to this time last year to avoid tedious repetition. I will pick up the thread from the suspension of the hunger strike last July. A misguided choice that came after unrealistic promises on the part of the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court judge who is the umbilical cord between the judiciary and the government to immediately grant my request on the extortionate condition that I would first suspend the strike and that this would not be exposed..

According to him, I had to suspend the strike, make a new application for suspension in Amfissa and he would pick up his phone as long as it did not become public, otherwise the agreement would cease to be valid. I made the mistake of assuming they would fulfill their promises because they would calculate their exposure, which in a controlled media environment proved to be a disastrous illusion. My isolation under the special detention regime of the Lamia hospital, which cut me off from my close comrades, contributed to this false choice as I was unable to consult the only people who had both the facts and the political acumen to recognise in time that this was a fraud.

The result was that I lost another year of my life, slowly and agonizingly waiting for the decisions of the judicial councils. Unexplained bureaucratic delays of the decision that would supposedly release me in September, until December. At this point I should have already started anew, but realizing the blow to my credibility as I was drawn into the State trap, it was not an easy choice at all. So I decided to wait until the statute of limitations had expired on the trumped-up case that was used as a pretext to have my licenses cut off, postponing the next battle. They then took every care to deprive me of any legal right to any leave, educational or tactical, that could possibly pave the way for my bloodless victory. At the same time, the tribunals demanded statements of legitimacy by asking me questions along the lines of “does your ideology allow you to never again violate the law?” And the renunciation of ideas and partner relationships is made a condition for an eventual release, which if so, may it never come. Continue reading “Greece: Hunger strike from 12/5/23 of the anarchist prisoner comrade Giannis Michailidis” →