Notes from prisoner solidarity meting, Teviot Building, 12-2:30.

Max 50 people

Update from trauma group.
All prisoners they have names for have been given £5. All are entitled to food of their choice. All have been provided with dry clothes. The website www.scotscourts.gov.uk has details of all cases before the sheriffs courts for the last few days, including today; look for ‘sheriff court rolls’ and search by town.

PROPOSAL: To call on the Dissent! working groups to prioritise prisoner support [consensus from the 36 present]

Update from legal team:
There have been 354 total arrests
225 from the 6th July; of which 27 are now out. 198 will be in court over the next couple of days. They are being held in Edinburgh, Galsgow, Stirling, Perth and Falkirk.
22 have been remanded in custody, most will be in court Monday 11th.

Other points:

Cards, letters, etc. need to be sent to people on remand.

Some people have been refused access to the courts. Is this legal? The Principal Sheriff has the power to refuse entry to people if there is ‘fear of disorderly conduct’; this power is clearly being abused However, people are getting in, especially if they have press cards. There are legal observers at all the courts.

PROPOSAL: for mass prison solidarity action outside the two main prisons where people are being held: Edinburgh jail (Saughton) and Stirling women’s prison (Corton Vale). The people in the Prison Solidarity Group at the Stirling campsite will be asked to organise this demonstration – so we can’t be sure they’ll take our suggested time.

The protests are to be noisy -- to show the people inside that we are out here and to give them heart. However, the protests will also be well organised and peaceful.

We will ask various groups – infernal noise brigade, samba bands, etc – to come along. Leaflets to publicise the demonstrations and to be handed to passers by will be produced.

We will make a statement/press release in the name of ‘July 2005 Prisoner Support Group’ that will contain specific points about police repression and show that we intend to form a long term support network.
[CONSENSUS]

Statement will be posted up ASAP.