Prison Struggle

International day of action against prisons 21/12/2008

dear friends and comrades

On the occasion of the 7th international symposion against isolation, which takes place on December 19-22 2008 in Vienna, Austria, we organise

a day of action on the 21st of December

- against the prison-industrial complex

- and in solidarity with all the fighting prisoners worldwide

On this same day we'll protest in front of switzerlands biggest jail in regensdorf near zurich (we'll take the train at 14.00 from zurich main station - S6 to baden - arrive in regensdorf at 14.20). in this prison our comrade eco-anarchist Marco Camenisch is jailed, sharing his fate with some other hundred prisoners. he's on hungerstrike from the first to the 22 of december.

The situation in this notorious prison is serious. in 2004 they cut down on prison-expenses, so they're saving on running costs of food, healthcare and education etc. the inmates wrote a petition to the regional government in 2006, it didn't change anything. the situation got even worse since then. there were at least two killings inside overstaffed cells and the prisoners suffer draconic sanctions for mostly ridiculous reasons. prison-administration doesn't give a shit for the imprisoned, they're just living on taxpayers money anyway. the climate of so called public opinion makes it easy for them, the crowd's screaming for more prisons, longer sentences and higher walls around their cosy homes.

This day of action is not just about the remembrance of the horrific reality in jails, refugee-camps and psychiatric wards. we want to join worldwide struggles of prisoners and to express our solidarity with all those, who stand their trials lately, accused because of their political conviction and their revolutionary deeds. for example the defendants in the ongoing trials against a communist party (pc-pm) in italy or against the 'militant group' in Berlin, Germany. Solidarity is a weapon!

Here are some of the current solidarity-campaigns and prisoners struggles:

- since november several political prisoners of chile are on a hunger- and some even on a thirststrike.
(http://presospoliticosexpropiadores.entodaspartes.net)

- since december 1st there is a collective hungerstrike of hundreds of prisoners in italy. in some other european jails there are hungerstrikes in support of this struggle too. they protest against the lifelong sentence, wich in italy means that there's not definitely an end to the sentence.
(infos: http://www.informa-azione.info, http://www.autprol.org)

- during one week, 6th-13th of december, there is an international campaign in support of mumia abu-jamal, who is still under threat of being executed.
(http://www.freemumia.org/events.html)

- on the 13th of december there's an international day of action in support of the defendants in the mg-trial, they're accused of trying to burn down army-cars in protest against the war in afghanistan.
(infos: http://www.einstellung.so36.net)

- the weekend 19th-22nd december there is the international symposion in vienna taking place, where members of several leftwing and anti-imperialist movements are taking part and speak about the situation of political prisoners around the world.
(infos: http://www.ipai-isolation.info)

We know, we can't mention all the struggles of prisoners. many struggles might not be known to us. but we should not forget, that there are still more than 750 basque political prisoners in spain and france and about 50 republican prisoners in irish and british jails. there is a war against kurdish people and revolutionary movements going on in turkey and more than thousand palestinians rotting in jail-cells too.

There are squatters, shop-lifters, rebels and struggling folk around the world, trying to live their lifes in a capitalist world full of shit. jail's a threat to all of us, let's abolish them.

we'd be delighted if you'd join our day of action!

For a society without prisons!
In solidarity

Friends and comrades of Marco Camenisch, 5.12.08

Barcelona, 7 November 2008