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Leeds Support For John Bowden - Friday 13th July

Leeds ABC | 09.07.2007 09:14 | Repression | Sheffield

Show your support for prisoner John Bowden as part of the International Day of solidarity in support of him and the Anarchist Black Cross. The Common Place, 12-3pm, Friday 13th July.

John Bowden is a long-term prison militant, who has been in jail for more than 25 years. While not originally imprisoned for anything political in nature, John has been a bulwark of the prison struggle and of prisoner solidarity throughout his time inside. He is a highly articulate political writer; a fierce critic of injustice wherever he sees it. His willingness to speak out, and to support other prisoners, (he was for example instrumental in first helping to publicise the case of the ‘Birmingham 6’), has not been without personal consequences. John has spent years in segregation, being ‘ghosted’ to every corner of the British penal gulag, and has suffered countless beatings and years of daily abuse. Even after more than 25 years the harassment and victimisation continues.

Until very recently John was in an open prison at Castle Huntly in Scotland. He had spent two years working unsupervised in the outside community as a volunteer on projects for the mentally ill and socially vulnerable, and had qualified as a literacy tutor for people with learning difficulties. For almost a year he had also been allowed frequent home leaves, and was not regarded as any form of risk to the public. All this changed however, when Matthew Stillman, a right-wing American social-worker (who for example, insists on calling Irish people ‘Micks’), accused John of having links with a ‘paramilitary’ and ‘terrorist’ organisation – namely the Anarchist Black Cross (ABC)!

The ABC are a perfectly legal and entirely legitimate prisoner support organisation, with origins that go back to Tsarist Russia. Autonomous branches of the ABC exist all over the world, including groups in Brighton and in Leeds.

Stillman’s lies are easily refuted, but they were eagerly taken up by the Scottish Prison Service, who used them as a pretext for ‘ghosting’ John from Castle Huntly to a maximum security prison at Glenochil. Since a massive campaign was launched in support of John however, and Stillman’s report came under more scrutiny, the SPS have begun to waver. John remains in maximum security conditions though, with all that entails, and Stillman’s enormously prejudicial report currently remains on his parole dossier.

John Bowden’s parole application is due to be considered in August, and the latest Prison Service campaign is clearly aimed at preventing his release. More than that however, it is designed to intimidate other prisoners thinking of supporting their fellow prisoners, and to damage the ability of the ABC to function as an arm of assistance.

For months, since the ABC was vilified, and John Bowden victmised, Leeds ABC have been helping to co-ordinate an international campaign of protest, which has seen solidarity actions everywhere from Edinburgh to Japan, and a constant stream of protest aimed at SPS HQ. This Friday, July 13th, sees the second International Day of Solidarity in support of John and the ABC (see  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/scotland/2007/06/373463.html and  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/leedsbradford/2007/07/374935.html).

In Leeds various support actions are planned, and Leeds ABC will be holding an info stall at the Common Place on Wharf Street (between Calls Lane and Swinegate.) There’s a large card to sign for John, and there’ll be postcards to send for the SPS (who you can also e-mail.) Come along and show your support and find out more about the work of the ABC, we’ll be there from 12 noon until 3.00pm. It’s also an opportunity to purchase John Bowden’s excellent pamphlet Tear Down The Walls! The café will be open as usual on Fridays, selling tea and coffee and a range of vegan food.

If you’re unable to be there you can still help:

John Bowden, 6729, HMP Glenochil, King O' Muir Road, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3AD. Scotland. (Please sends letters and solidarity cards, SAEs, postal orders made payable to ‘The Governor’.)

Audrey Parks, Governor, HMP Glenochil, King O' Muir Road, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3AD. Phone: 01259 760471. Fax: 01259 762003. (Messages of protest.)

Social Services Department, Perth & Kinross Council, 2 High St, Perth, PH1 5PH. Phone: 01738 475000. Fax: 01738 475710. (Complaints about social-worker Matthew Stillman.)

Scottish Prison Service HQ, Communications Branch, Room 338, Calton House, 5 Redheughs Rigg, Edinburgh, EH12 9HW. E-mail:  gaolinfo@sps.gov.uk Phone: 01259 760471. Fax: 01259 762003. (Postcards reading ‘Hands Off John Bowden!’ and other forms of protest.)

To find out more about John Bowden and the campaign in support of him see www.myspace.com/friendsofjohnbowden or the main feature on UK Indymedia.

Leeds ABC
- e-mail: leedsabc@riseup.net
- Homepage: http://www.myspace.com/leedsabc

Comments

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Update on Letters to Perth & Kinross Council

12.07.2007 09:28

As the Care Commission have now disavowed any responsiblity for handling complaints about the conduct of Matthew Stillman, all complaints should now be addressed to his employers:

Criminal Justice Services
Unit 45
St. Martain's House North
King Edward Street
Perth
PH1 5UT
Tel: 01738 444244
Fax: 01738 444250

Brighton ABC
mail e-mail: brightonabc@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://brightonabc.org.uk


to put it politely

12.07.2007 15:13

Dear Criminal Justice Services,

I am aware that one of your employees, Matt Stillman, recently had John Bowden condemned to high security imprisonment simply for having a visit from ABC. Now, having read Mr Stillmans report condemning ABC as paramilitaries and terrorists, it would be easy for me to condemn his smear as evidence of your organisation being infiltrated by quasi-fascistic tendencies unfit to represent the Scottish public. Seriously you must admit, to equate anarchism with terrorism is a bit 19th century, wouldn't you agree ? Rather than take this confrontational approach, I suggest a concialtory attititude. Being a US citizen, Mr Stillman hasn't had the beneficial experience of meeting ordinary anarchists or reading a free press. I have, and I haven't met one anarchist that wasn't committed to non-violent direct action in the same way Gandhi was. My own mother is a perfectly normal Scottish granny, and she would call herself anarchist while disavowing terrorism. Noam Chomsky, who last year was voted "The World's Favourite Intellectual" calls himself an anarchist. He is definitely anti-violence.

I admit the name 'Anarchist Black Cross' does sound slightly sinister, but in truth they were originally called the Red Cross and they are a humanitarian prisoners support organisation as the current Red Cross is. They are political, but they are not terrorists and is sad to see they so condemned. You have to bear in mind that the word 'democrat' was equated with anarchy throughout most of Western history. I hope you agree democracy has proven to be a good thing - anarchy is simply a slight improvement on democracy in our opinion. Please do not equate the word with chaos, revolution or pandemonium as the tabloid press do. Think of it instead as participative democracy. We still have rules that are enforced, we just don't have laws imposed from above.

John isn't even an anarchist, he is simply someone who refused to equate the word anarchist with the word terrorist as your employee did mistakenly. I don't blame your organisation or your employee for that mistake, I simply wish to dispell your ignorance. And so I offer to introduce you to some Scottish anarchists, give a little lecture on the history of anarchism to your staff if you wish, demonstrate that anarchism is closer to pacifism than to terrorism.

You know, the ironic thing here is that John isn't even an anarchist, he is just somebody who had the gumption to refuse to condemn his supporters as terrorists. You must admire his bravery - even you know we are all conditioned to be obedient by small rewards. Without ill-feeling, it is you who condemed all anarchists as wolves. You may think there is no cross-over between anarchists and the prison service, after all we anarchists are dismissive of prisons. However I can see a link. In prison people are put on courses to teach them non-violence, anger management etc. We are experts at that, we have non-violence training from day 1. Perhaps we could help run your courses, which I know are back-logged.

Anarchists don't exclude violence as a tactic any more than democrats do. We are just ordinary people with ordinary flaws, the same as you. It doesn't make any sense to me to confront you though when I could approach you rationally. Anti-social behaviour has to be addressed, but to condemn anyone who refuses to comply with your own political pronouncements is no better than Stalinism, however well motived you are.

I hope you invite me, or someone of similar opinions to me to address your staff, so that they can see we aren't terrorists or committed to violence. By falsely associating John Bowden with terrorism in writing, you have made a major blunder, commerically, factually, judicially and most importantly morally. I am offering you the chance to recitify that error and hope you will be in contact soon.

best regards,

an anarchist