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REMEMBER
We're Still Here
What is the Anarchist Black Cross?
The origins of the Anarchist Black Cross date back prior to the
Russian Revolution. An Anarchist Red Cross was formed in Tsarist Russia
to organize aid for political prisoners and their families, and self-
defense against political raids by the Cossack army.
During the Russian Civil War, the organization changed its name to
the Black Cross in order to avoid confusion with the Red Cross who
were organizing relief in the country. After the Bolsheviks seized power
the Black Cross was moved to Berlin.
It continued to aid prisoners of the Bolshevik regime, as well as
victims of Italian fascism and others.
Despite the increasing demand for its services, the Black Cross folded
in the '40s due to a simultaneous decline in availavle finances.
In the late '60s the organization resurfaced in England, where
it initially worked to aid prisoners of the Spanish resistance
to Franco's fascist regime. In the 1980's the ABC expanded and
now has groups in many different regions of the world.
Working Towards Liberation
We believe that prisons serve no function except to preserve the
ruling classes. We also believe that a free society must find
alternative, effective ways of dealing with anti-social crime.
But a decrease in anti-social crime is only likely to happen
(and therefore prison abolition can only be a realistic option)
accompanied by a dramatic change in our economic, social, and political
systems. These conditions lie at the root of both anti-social crime
and the reasons for a prison system. Our primary goal is to make these
fundamental changes. We work for a stateless, cooperative/classless
society free from privelege or domination based on race or gender.
But it's not enough to build the grassroots movements necessary
to bring about these changes in society, we must also be able to
defend them. The ABC defends those who are captured and persecuted
for carrying out acts on behalf of our movements.
Support for Imprisoned Activists
The ABC aims to recognize, expose and support the struggles of
prisoners in general, and of Political Prisoners and
Prisoners of War in particular. The form our solidarity takes
depends on each individual's situation. To some we send financial or
material aid. With others we keep in contact through mail, make
visits, provide political literature, and discuss strategy and tactics.
We do whatever we can to prevent prisoners becoming isolated from the
rest of the movement. We fundraise on behalf of prisoners or their
defense committees for legal cases or other needs, and organize
demonstrations or public campaigns of solidarity with prisoners we
support.
We regard prisoners as an active part of our movement and seek to
maintain their past and potential contributions by acting as a link
back to the continuing struggle. Increased communication between
activists both inside and outside prison inspires resistance
on both sides of the prison walls. We hope that we can encourage other
activists by providing assurance that even if you are persecuted for
your activities, the movement will not abandon you: we will take care
of our own. Through the ABC, we are building organizational support
for resistance.
Defending Resistance
Outside of prisoner support work, the ABC is committed to the
wider resistance in which many of these prisoners are engaged.
We see a need to be highly organized if we are to effectively
meet the organized repression of the state and avoid defeat.
When power is challenged, be it in South Africa, occupied Palestine,
Chile, Ireland or Canada, it inevitably turns to violent repression
and political imprisonment to maintain itself.
In 1989 we set up an "Emergency Response Network"(ERN) to respond
to political raids, crackdowns, death sentences, hungerstrikes,
torture or killings of members of or prisoners from groups and
communities we work in solidarity with. An ERN mobilization means
ABC groups and others around the world send telegrams and phone calls,
organize demonstrations or other actions within 48 hours of the network
being alerted. For instance, two Greek anarchist prisoners reported
to be held incommunicado and subject to torture were released
from solitary confinement and allowed access to lawyers after the ERN's
first mobilization brought demonstrations, calls, faxes and telegrams
to Greek embassies around the world. The ABC's international network
plays the one trump card grassroots movements have in our deck:
solidarity.
Remember: We're Still Here
We decide what prisoners to support and what work we will do on
a case-by-case basis. We put priority on the cases of political/
politicized prisoners and POWs as this corresponds to our committment
to building resistance. Although imprisonment is in itself "political",
Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War are being held specifically
for their beliefs or actions.
Unlike Amnesty International, we don't place judgements on what are
valid and invalid expressions of resistance: non-violence is not
a criterion of support.
Unlike other organizations supporting political prisoners, we include
those who were "politicized" by the prison experience and have since
become organizers inside prison. Many "politicized" prisoners face
increased harrassment in return fot their activism.
Getting Involved
There are many ways of getting involved in this work.
You or your group can:
-Join your local ABC group
-set up your own ABC group
-donate labour, materials or money to the ABC
-become active in the Emergency Response Network
-or help as an individual by spreading information about
prisoners, writing to them, making visits, sending reading materials and more