Anarchist Black Cross
Greg Minns
Greg Minns, a young anarchist from North East England has been imprisoned in a mental hospital against his will, to keep him out of political activity and discredit his ideas. NMRI Scans and CT Scans have consistently found nothing wrong with him and staff and patients are puzzled as to why he is being detained. After he was arrested for breach of the peace in April 1998 he was severely assaulted in the police station and then sectioned and taken to Winterton Hospital. He was not read his rights or given a solicitor even though he asked for one. On arrival at Winterton four nurses subdued and gave him an injection in the glutimus maximus that knocked him out for 2 days.
Greg's behaviour in hospital has been catalogued by staff. He does not hear voices, does not self harm, his personal hygiene is good and he is not violent. The only evidence that they have for his statement that he has "paranoid schizophrenia" is that he says that he has been imprisoned for his political beliefs. In his report to the Mental Health ReviewTribunal his doctor explained his lack of 'ill' behaviour by saying :"Whilst in hospital he improves well, but this is of course an artificial situation and in no way proves that he is fit to be discharged or could cope in the community". Far from wanting to take him out of an "artificial situation" the doctors want to put Greg in a hostel where he will be monitored all day and night, not allowed to go to raves, holiday without staff or even on demonstrations without permission.
Greg is active in the campaign for legalisation of cannabis. He has never used cocaine, heroin, or crack. In the hospital he is pumped full of drugs every day , causing nausea, headaches, lowering of blood pressure, stomach cramp. Write to Greg's doctor and /or the Mental Health Review Tibunal asking for Greg to be taken off his section and/or have his medication reduced or stopped.
Dr M.A. Launer, Lamont Clinic, Burnley General Hospital, Casterton Avenue, Burnley BB10 2PQ
Mental Health Review Tribunal, 249 St. Mary's Road, Garston , Liverpool, L19 0NF
Letters of support to Greg Minns, Ward 18, Burnley General Hospital, Casterton Avenue, Burnley BB10 2PQ
Redskin in prison
Thomas Meyer-Falk is an anarchist skinhead imprisoned in Germany. In 1996 he robbed a bank, which he admits. He refused to deny his political beliefs during his trial, for which he received the additional sentence of security custody until 2010.When he called a judge "an example of a fascistic judge from a picture-book" he got an extra 7 months of prison. He is now in solitary confinement justified by the charges of suspicion of a planned escape through taking hostages, saying he wanted to kill judges, threat and insult of court and prison officers.
He has been denied university study through a postal course, is only allowed to leave the cell in irons, has daily cell raids, several body checks a week, (stripped in front of prison officers), has a limit on newspapers and magazines, is not allowed to receive parcels, is allowed use of the exercise yard only if on his own, has strict solitary confinement, and his ingoing and outgoing mail is severely censored
Write letters of support to Thomas Meyer-Falk, JVA Bruchsal, Zelle:3117, Schonbornstr. 32, D-76646 Bruchsal, Germany
Action Directe and the RAF
The Anarchist Federation has never supported the politics or the strategy and tactics of either the "armed struggle groups" Action Directe in France or the Red Army Fraction in Germany. Nevertheless we must highlight the atrocious conditions which those imprisoned have to face. In France Georges Cipriani, Joelle Aubron, Nathalie Menigon and Jean-Marc Rouillan are denied all visits by friends and family. They are all in total isolation. Their access to exercise yards is severely restricted. Mail is severely censored and often is never received. Both Cipriani and Menigon are in very poor health.
The families of the prisoners are demanding that the four be grouped in the same prison, the end of the severe conditions and restrictions. They demand that Cipriani receive expert medical care.
In Germany a petition is circulating. All the prisoners in the course of the last 10 to 20 years have been given solitary confinement of the most ferocious kind, causing physical and psychological problems. They have struggled constantly against these conditions. Now the organisers of the petition are demanding that these conditions be lifted and the end to what is a form of torture.
Write to Freiheit jetzt c/0 Schanzenblitz, Bartelstrabe 21, 20357 Hamburg, Germany.