Solidarity demo at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
John Bowden should need no introduction to regular readers of CW, his articles and news of his situation have appeared here regularly, and for many years. John received a Life sentence in 1980 and quickly developed into a prison militant, being at the forefront of the British prison struggle for more than 25 years, and regularly paying the price for his resistance through victimisation, segregation, and naked brutality from the system. In his book Tear Down The Walls! (published by Leeds ABC) he talks of his early years behind bars:
“I’d always possessed a certain degree of class consciousness, always identified with and felt part of a poor underclass. I’d always felt an instinctive hatred of the rich and powerful, and believed in a vague concept of class struggle and revolution. In prison for life, I was now able to intellectually develop and grow, and in a strange sort of way, discover a freedom of heart and mind that I’d never before known. Within two years of my imprisonment for life I had metamorphosed into a committed revolutionary dedicated to fighting the prison system, making whatever contribution I was able to the wider struggle beyond prison.”
Because of John’s spirited resistance to repression, and the way he was able to articulate opposition through his writing, he has been kept in high security conditions (and often held in segregation) throughout his quarter of a Century behind bars. Nonetheless, following a transfer to Scotland a few years ago, he was eventually moved to open conditions and was being prepared for release. As part of that process John spent two years working as a volunteer in the community, working with the mentally ill and socially vulnerable. He qualified as a literacy tutor for people with learning difficulties, and for almost a year he was allowed frequent home leaves.
Despite his looming release, pending a hearing by the parole board, John continued to challenge injustice wherever and whenever he encountered it, and continued to churn out articles condemning prison and critical of the Scottish Prison Service. Since he remains unbroken, the system had not finished with him, it would attempt to make an example of John Bowden, and to keep him locked up.
As lifers approach final parole hearings, various reports are compiled upon them. Few are more important and influential than those written by social workers. John’s original social worker was considered to be too reasonable by the administration at Castle Huntly open prison, and so they brought in a replacement. The individual hand-picked for the job was Matthew Stillman, a right-wing American with entrenched ideas about the punitive role of prisons. John takes up the story:
“During two brief interviews he attempted to interrogate me about my political views and philosophy, and focused his questions almost entirely on my contact and relationship with prisoner support groups on the outside. He seemed particularly interested in my contact with the Anarchist Black Cross movement and claimed to have researched their website and read articles of mine featured on it. In Stillman's limited right-wing imagination he associated anarchism with violence and terrorism, and despite what he had actually seen and read to the contrary on the ABC website, he decided to write the following critically damning remarks in his report on me to the parole board: 'Bowden has written for a self-proclaimed anarchist website called Brighton ABC and he says he supports many of their ideas and actions. A review of this website brings into question the nature of the group. The members of this group appear to be primarily eco-terrorists or paramilitary members involved in what they see as battles against political systems and principles.’ He then adds: 'Whilst at Edinburgh prison it was reported that Bowden had received a visit from terrorists.' This refers to two members of Brighton ABC who had visited me at Edinburgh jail, neither of whom had a criminal conviction between them.
“As Stillman was well aware, particularly as an American with firm right-wing opinions, levelling the accusation of 'terrorist' sympathies and associations against me in the current political climate would effectively terminate any possibility of the parole board agreeing to my release. And of course those who invited Stillman to write his report on me knew only too well that the opinions of an apparently unbiased and neutral professional would be given infinitely more weight by the parole board than those offered by conceivably prejudiced prison staff.”
In light of Stillman’s allegations about the ABC, and the attempts to keep John Bowden behind bars, a campaign was quickly initiated by Leeds ABC. It was vitally important to challenge the ‘terrorist’ smear, to defend John, and to prevent the attempt by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to effectively prevent contact between politicised prisoners and prisoner support organisations through a process of intimidation. The SPS responded by placing John in segregation (something he had expected at any time anyway), and by ‘ghosting’ him to Glenochil high security prison. Clearly, they thought they could bury John and withstand the campaign. They were proved wrong on both counts.
Far from being lost in the system, John began to receive cards and letters by the fistload. The news of what was happening to him spread worldwide, and the SPS, the authorities at HMP Glenochil, the Parole Board, and even Stillman himself began to receive what would eventually amount to thousands of cards, letters, e-mails, faxes, and phonecalls. Meanwhile John continued to fight back, not giving an inch to his tormentors and refusing to cooperate with them.
On May 25th a Day of International Solidarity was held in support of John and in defence of the ABC. Supporters from all over Britain travelled to Edinburgh to picket the Scottish parliament, while around the world, from Japan to the USA, supporters picketed British consulates and embassies, organised phone and fax blockades, and held info meetings and mass card signings. A large pile of ‘Hands Off John Bowden!’ cards was hand-delivered to SPS headquarters, which closed early for the day, and the volume of phonecalls to Glenochil forced them to set up a special system to deal with them.
As the momentum of the campaign began to gather pace, nothing of its like had ever been seen before or envisaged by the SPS, and this was reflected in their treatment of John at Glenochil, which became far less confrontational than it had been – Particularly as no other jail in Scotland would now take him, even Perth maximum security prison refused his transfer there! Governors and SPS officials were pulling their hair out trying to find ways to extricate themselves from the situation with some dignity intact, and it wasn’t long before Matthew Stillman’s name was mud.
On June 8th a picket of the Parole Board in London was held, while less formal support actions were happening all the time. SPS HQ continued to be flooded with hundreds of ‘Hands Off John Bowden!’ postcards.
The 13th of July saw the 2nd International Day of Solidarity, with even more actions taking place in support of John. In Scotland, supporters picketed SPS HQ, while there were banner drops in Leeds and elsewhere, as well as organised phone/fax blockades, embassy pickets, solidarity meetings, and in London another picket of the Parole Board (some reports from the day can be found at www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/375952.html)
Because of the campaign, and John’s constant challenge to them, Stillman’s spurious ‘terrorist’ allegations had been discredited, and it was not long before an embarrassed SPS began to backtrack, eventually refuting Stillman’s lies completely. With numerous complaints against him, the career of this right-wing stooge lies in tatters. Bizarrely, throughout all of this, while being held in high security conditions, John has remained a low security prisoner, and no proper reasons have ever been forthcoming for his removal from Castle Huntly.
As we go to press, John remains at Glenochil, but has been told he will be transferred back to open conditions soon. His parole hearing has been put back 6 months to December. Worringly, news is beginning to come in of an attempt by the SPS to ‘gag’ John, another dirty trick that will not succeed. The struggle will continue until John Bowden is free.
Unfortunately, while waging the campaign, John’s supporters have not only had to concede with dirty tricks from the State, but fight a rear-guard action against a tiny, but vocal element, calling themselves anarchists, and infesting various internet forums – most notably Libcom. Here cowards of the lowest type, hiding behind a veneer of anonymity, attempted to smear both John Bowden and the ABC, and undermine support for the campaign. These attacks on an established and long-standing prison resister, currently under attack by the State, are beneath contempt.
Final word to John: ““For having stood up to and resisted unlawful and inhuman treatment in prison, and retained some basic human integrity and humanity in the process, I probably shall now remain imprisoned far beyond what even a reactionary judge deemed an appropriate period of time all those years ago. Hell will freeze over, however, before I surrender that part of myself that had the courage and integrity to fight back and resist when resistance often seemed futile.”
To find out about John’s latest situation and what you can do to help please see the Friends of John Bowden website at www.myspace.com/friendsofjohnbowden
Leeds ABC also send out regular updates by e-mail. You can subscribe by contacting Leeds ABC at
leedsabc@riseup.com
John’s pamphlet Tear Down The Walls! is available, price £2 plus 50p UK postage from Leeds ABC, PO Box 53, Leeds, LS8 4WP.
“I’d always possessed a certain degree of class consciousness, always identified with and felt part of a poor underclass. I’d always felt an instinctive hatred of the rich and powerful, and believed in a vague concept of class struggle and revolution. In prison for life, I was now able to intellectually develop and grow, and in a strange sort of way, discover a freedom of heart and mind that I’d never before known. Within two years of my imprisonment for life I had metamorphosed into a committed revolutionary dedicated to fighting the prison system, making whatever contribution I was able to the wider struggle beyond prison.”
Because of John’s spirited resistance to repression, and the way he was able to articulate opposition through his writing, he has been kept in high security conditions (and often held in segregation) throughout his quarter of a Century behind bars. Nonetheless, following a transfer to Scotland a few years ago, he was eventually moved to open conditions and was being prepared for release. As part of that process John spent two years working as a volunteer in the community, working with the mentally ill and socially vulnerable. He qualified as a literacy tutor for people with learning difficulties, and for almost a year he was allowed frequent home leaves.
Despite his looming release, pending a hearing by the parole board, John continued to challenge injustice wherever and whenever he encountered it, and continued to churn out articles condemning prison and critical of the Scottish Prison Service. Since he remains unbroken, the system had not finished with him, it would attempt to make an example of John Bowden, and to keep him locked up.
As lifers approach final parole hearings, various reports are compiled upon them. Few are more important and influential than those written by social workers. John’s original social worker was considered to be too reasonable by the administration at Castle Huntly open prison, and so they brought in a replacement. The individual hand-picked for the job was Matthew Stillman, a right-wing American with entrenched ideas about the punitive role of prisons. John takes up the story:
“During two brief interviews he attempted to interrogate me about my political views and philosophy, and focused his questions almost entirely on my contact and relationship with prisoner support groups on the outside. He seemed particularly interested in my contact with the Anarchist Black Cross movement and claimed to have researched their website and read articles of mine featured on it. In Stillman's limited right-wing imagination he associated anarchism with violence and terrorism, and despite what he had actually seen and read to the contrary on the ABC website, he decided to write the following critically damning remarks in his report on me to the parole board: 'Bowden has written for a self-proclaimed anarchist website called Brighton ABC and he says he supports many of their ideas and actions. A review of this website brings into question the nature of the group. The members of this group appear to be primarily eco-terrorists or paramilitary members involved in what they see as battles against political systems and principles.’ He then adds: 'Whilst at Edinburgh prison it was reported that Bowden had received a visit from terrorists.' This refers to two members of Brighton ABC who had visited me at Edinburgh jail, neither of whom had a criminal conviction between them.
“As Stillman was well aware, particularly as an American with firm right-wing opinions, levelling the accusation of 'terrorist' sympathies and associations against me in the current political climate would effectively terminate any possibility of the parole board agreeing to my release. And of course those who invited Stillman to write his report on me knew only too well that the opinions of an apparently unbiased and neutral professional would be given infinitely more weight by the parole board than those offered by conceivably prejudiced prison staff.”
In light of Stillman’s allegations about the ABC, and the attempts to keep John Bowden behind bars, a campaign was quickly initiated by Leeds ABC. It was vitally important to challenge the ‘terrorist’ smear, to defend John, and to prevent the attempt by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to effectively prevent contact between politicised prisoners and prisoner support organisations through a process of intimidation. The SPS responded by placing John in segregation (something he had expected at any time anyway), and by ‘ghosting’ him to Glenochil high security prison. Clearly, they thought they could bury John and withstand the campaign. They were proved wrong on both counts.
Far from being lost in the system, John began to receive cards and letters by the fistload. The news of what was happening to him spread worldwide, and the SPS, the authorities at HMP Glenochil, the Parole Board, and even Stillman himself began to receive what would eventually amount to thousands of cards, letters, e-mails, faxes, and phonecalls. Meanwhile John continued to fight back, not giving an inch to his tormentors and refusing to cooperate with them.
On May 25th a Day of International Solidarity was held in support of John and in defence of the ABC. Supporters from all over Britain travelled to Edinburgh to picket the Scottish parliament, while around the world, from Japan to the USA, supporters picketed British consulates and embassies, organised phone and fax blockades, and held info meetings and mass card signings. A large pile of ‘Hands Off John Bowden!’ cards was hand-delivered to SPS headquarters, which closed early for the day, and the volume of phonecalls to Glenochil forced them to set up a special system to deal with them.
As the momentum of the campaign began to gather pace, nothing of its like had ever been seen before or envisaged by the SPS, and this was reflected in their treatment of John at Glenochil, which became far less confrontational than it had been – Particularly as no other jail in Scotland would now take him, even Perth maximum security prison refused his transfer there! Governors and SPS officials were pulling their hair out trying to find ways to extricate themselves from the situation with some dignity intact, and it wasn’t long before Matthew Stillman’s name was mud.
On June 8th a picket of the Parole Board in London was held, while less formal support actions were happening all the time. SPS HQ continued to be flooded with hundreds of ‘Hands Off John Bowden!’ postcards.
The 13th of July saw the 2nd International Day of Solidarity, with even more actions taking place in support of John. In Scotland, supporters picketed SPS HQ, while there were banner drops in Leeds and elsewhere, as well as organised phone/fax blockades, embassy pickets, solidarity meetings, and in London another picket of the Parole Board (some reports from the day can be found at www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/375952.html)
Because of the campaign, and John’s constant challenge to them, Stillman’s spurious ‘terrorist’ allegations had been discredited, and it was not long before an embarrassed SPS began to backtrack, eventually refuting Stillman’s lies completely. With numerous complaints against him, the career of this right-wing stooge lies in tatters. Bizarrely, throughout all of this, while being held in high security conditions, John has remained a low security prisoner, and no proper reasons have ever been forthcoming for his removal from Castle Huntly.
As we go to press, John remains at Glenochil, but has been told he will be transferred back to open conditions soon. His parole hearing has been put back 6 months to December. Worringly, news is beginning to come in of an attempt by the SPS to ‘gag’ John, another dirty trick that will not succeed. The struggle will continue until John Bowden is free.
Unfortunately, while waging the campaign, John’s supporters have not only had to concede with dirty tricks from the State, but fight a rear-guard action against a tiny, but vocal element, calling themselves anarchists, and infesting various internet forums – most notably Libcom. Here cowards of the lowest type, hiding behind a veneer of anonymity, attempted to smear both John Bowden and the ABC, and undermine support for the campaign. These attacks on an established and long-standing prison resister, currently under attack by the State, are beneath contempt.
Final word to John: ““For having stood up to and resisted unlawful and inhuman treatment in prison, and retained some basic human integrity and humanity in the process, I probably shall now remain imprisoned far beyond what even a reactionary judge deemed an appropriate period of time all those years ago. Hell will freeze over, however, before I surrender that part of myself that had the courage and integrity to fight back and resist when resistance often seemed futile.”
To find out about John’s latest situation and what you can do to help please see the Friends of John Bowden website at www.myspace.com/friendsofjohnbowden
Leeds ABC also send out regular updates by e-mail. You can subscribe by contacting Leeds ABC at
leedsabc@riseup.com John’s pamphlet Tear Down The Walls! is available, price £2 plus 50p UK postage from Leeds ABC, PO Box 53, Leeds, LS8 4WP.
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Comments
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Goodstuff
12.09.2007 20:37
The effectiveness of the campaign from within the prison and outside has proved effective, and it's not over yet.
Stillinajobman?
agree with above, glad stillman is now being investigated, feck the haterz
22.09.2007 19:43
These social workers, etc are sometimes even worse than the screws, and get away with it more maybe, cos everyone is aware of how far some screws will go, i.e. all the way - and i'm talking murder, not sex, though heard they do that too.....
But more peeps are willing to believe social workers, etc, aremore likely to be - do gooder middle class 'guilty white liberals'.
but see all the things psychologists etc are complicent with at Guantamano Bay,etc, and i think maybe some of these peeps may sign up for reasons that have something to do with repression and power over people - though not saying this is the main or only factor in ppl doing this kind of work, but comes into play a lot, tho do know a few peeps do this kind of work for genine reasons.
also regarding the haterz - mostly on lib-com - and i have posted there on every thread regarding john(or ones i have found, anyway) - i find some of them sickening, esp as a few go way past 'crossing the line' and show no respect or anything for the person john commited his murder on, or their family, while pretending that is their main concern.
They pretend that is what they are worried about, and yet post pictures of heads in fridges, etc, and post well out of order things about John - while he has no way of answering back.
Obviously genuine questioning if they should show a fellow class-struggle anarchist any solidarity and constructive critisism i have no problem with - can't expect peeps to wait until John is in a position to reply while making their minds up whether to actively show support, etc
There have been some posts of this nature, but a lot more of the previous type i mention, and also ones condemning ppl who are in support of John, even calling for example, someone 'super anarchist' in a derogatory way, which is pretty sick, having a go at someone who is passionate and has the courage of their convictions, and combines theory and action, engaging actively in the struggle , as well as using the internet.
I am definetely not saying here that every poster does nothing but be on the internet, do not know any of them, but am aware that some of them are active, and obviously cannot point finger at anyone, as have no idea who they are or what they do, and also not really into playing blame games, and i myself go through peroids of vary degrees of activism, due to health reasons and commitements, which is why i got a computer last year, so can still be a couch potato contribitor, lol, so would never uestion what peeps do or do not do.
But what i find worse, is being extremely insulting and even false to John , when i bet some of them have not bothered to find out anything he has done.
Some posters state that John is not a political prisoner, which is true in the regard that he was not imprisoned for a political offense, and someone , i think i remember right, said the ABC's should never have taken up his case, and that it is only cos they did that he is/or seen as an anarchist prisoner - which to me is putting the cart before the horse.
On a previous thread someone even said that John - only became political when it suited him, which after my WTF! initial reaction, i since found laughable, and said so on the forum.
I mean, why on earth would anyone take all the hassle and intimidation, etc that prisoners who are political, in any sense get??
The main reason, imo, that John is still inside is cos of the petty minded vengance of the screws upwards, most of them have good reason to resent John, precisely cos he is so political, and expresses this so well, and in numerous ways, including writing spot-on articles for ABC's, Class War(like here :-), RCG and heaps more, has investigated screws actions that go beyond the "normal" level of harrassment, intimidation and brutality, incl racism and mis-carraiges of justice and deaths inside, has shown never-ending loyalty and solidarity with cons, both personally and in general, including internationally - i.e. monthly weekend hunger strikers in solidarity with prisoners in Greece or Turkey(can't remember and no time to check out), and has been at the forefront of militant prisoner resistance for over 20 years.
As the recent representing of him at the anti-fascist commeration of the 'Battle of Lewisham' shows, he was class-conscious and fighting back before he even went inside, and like many other prisoners, found or made his time inside 'a school of revolution', many 'famous' cons did not go inside for political actions, and are still generally refered too as political prisoners, e.g. George (Soledad Brother) Jackson.
So in my opinion, John is a political prisoner, and is now a political hostage, and with all the ever increasing repression and crimilising of political activists, esp with the s.o.c.p.a., i find it hard to see why some class-struggle anarchists are so negative to him.
This is noit to deny he done something pretty fkn sick and out of order, but surely as anarchists, we believe in a capacity for chance, else how are people ever gonna be able to cope when hopefully one day we change from the capitalist system, whose norm is selfish and non-co-operative behaviour - which is actively encouraged, even rewarded, and in some ways necesary to survive well,
in comradeship and solidarity with all fighters , in whatever way, against authoritarian capitalism, etc
p.s. if any lib-com members see this feel free to post, else i will do so when have more time, as am not gonna say anymore re this matter on lib-com, though i still like it as a forum, and even noticed some good posts on other subjects by ppl who i really disagree with on this issue, but there are some posters who do not wanna debate this issue in a spirit of class-struggle anarchist comradeship, but prefer to be bang out of order, and i have , as do they , other things to do.
m.caroline F.T.S.
e-mail:
kj10680@yahoo.co.uk