We’re humbled by the enormous outpouring of solidarity which comrades all over the world demonstrated on June 11th this year, especially the ways in which people linked Marius and Eric’s struggles in prison with their own struggles against environmental devastation, the prison-world and the forces of capitalist exploitation.
We’d also like to draw attention to the hunger strike currently taking place in Greek prisons, against the construction of new high security wings and entire prison for those convicted on terrorism charges (primarily anarchist and nihilist combatants). We continue to stand in complicity with comrades, near and far, who are struggling both inside and outside of prison walls against the intensification of the systems of control and oppression.
The night was capped off with a wonderful 45 minute performance by Straight Out Scribes, a mother/daughter spoken word duo who are very familiar with what it means to stand with political prisoners. They visited Marilyn Buck when she was being held at FCI Dublin, CA, they worked on the campaign to free Huey P. Newton, and they continue to write to many prisoners today. We were honored to have their performance be a part of our June 11th event this year.
The SPS table was full of literature on Eric McDavid, Marie Mason and other political prisoners, as well as a lot of support stickers and T shirts. Some new connections were made and fliers for our next prisoner letter writing night were distributed.
We move forward with Eric and Marie on our minds and in our hearts, along with all the other prisoners we stand with and work for. We find solace in the fact that there are june 11th events happening all over the world, knowing we are part of a movement and that we are making a difference.
Tel-Aviv, Israel/Palestine–
In June 11th, 2014, there were at least 41 events in 39 cities in seven countries, as well as many actions. Anarchy being what it is, we’re sure even more happened.
Our list of 2014 events is here; mouseover for details, if available. You can find the 2014 callout in, thanks to ContraInfo and other friends, Serbo-Croatian , Italian, German, Greek, Spanish , and Portuguese.
Thank you for all the solidarity you show, on June 11th or any day. It means everything.
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June 11th is quickly approaching. As a revitalization of the day of support for eco-prisoners, the International Day of Solidarity with Marie Mason, Eric McDavid and Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners has seen a huge outpouring of support and love for both Marie and Eric from all corners of the globe over the past 3 years.
Significantly, in addition to the wellspring of both material and immaterial support, we’ve seen the proliferation of solidarity actions in many diverse contexts spreading the spirit and contributions to our struggles of those the state has attempted to disappear. Coordinated international solidarity has begun to flourish, with information about long-term anarchist and environmental prisoners crossing many geographic and linguistic barriers.
These efforts have had very tangible effects in the lives of Marie and Eric (and many others). Fundraisers have helped them remain true to their vegan principles, loved ones have been able to visit regularly even across vast distances, new generations of radical folks all over the world have reached out to them in solidarity. In short, June 11th has been greatly successful in helping to keep Marie, Eric and many other long-term anarchist and environmental prisoners in our hearts and minds, and to keep them alive in our struggles.
But this process of remembering – of “keeping alive” – is a tricky thing.
Our struggles and movements are often mired by a lack of memory, and a lack of understanding and connecting with the past as a way to inform our actions in the present. This is both a product of the techno-alienation of our age as well as a consequence of tactical repression by state forces. The state, for the time being, has the ability to kidnap our comrades and bury them alive, to force them to languish in cold steel and concrete for decades on end. They’re ripped from our communities, from our lives. And in their place exists a painful void.
The state, for its part, is banking on the veracity of the old adage “time heals all wounds”; it is hoping that this void will shrink and that we will “forget”. If held in captivity long enough, so thinks the state, the actions of our courageous comrades will fade into the oblivion of history and we on the outside will be left without their constructive and loving presence in our struggles. We must fight against this repressive tendency; we must never forget.
Over the past few years we have seen a sharp increase in ecological defense and animal liberation actions all over the world. In this ever-increasing resistance it is paramount that we recognize the actions and struggles of the past, of the comrades who we must now unfortunately call “long-term anarchist prisoners.” The continuation of their fights – their active remembering – must be kept alive.
To this end, for June 11th this year we’re making a specific call. While in years past we may have emphasized certain aspects of long-term prisoner support (i.e. material support, building international ties, etc), this year we want to make it explicit.
As the June 11th organizing crew, we’ve often used the term “active remembering” to describe a process that feels crucial to us in doing long-term prisoner support. That is, we’ve come to see the necessity of not simply passively holding onto a set of names to “honor and remember,” but to work towards a mode of support that ties our relationships with long-term anarchist and environmental prisoners into action in our/their ongoing struggles.
Marie and Eric, being the focus of our June 11th organizing efforts, are both dedicated vegans imprisoned for acting in direct opposition to the destruction of the earth. In an effort to “actively remember” them and to engage with them in the present by connecting them to a continuance of their fight, we’re encouraging people to tie their June 11th events into actively ongoing eco and animal liberation struggles.
This call is not proscriptive in any way; read what you want in these words and put them into action as you and your crew see fit. But remember, what we’re calling for is not a ritualistic expression of solidarity, a once a year party in which we, for only an instant, call to mind those captured by the State. Rather, ours is a call to live the history of our imprisoned comrades, to take their names, their actions, and their struggles and to turn them back on the world that locks them up. Ours is a call to action.
In solidarity with Marie and Eric; with all long-term anarchist prisoners; in defence of the earth; until all cages are empty!
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This year on June 11 – the International Day of Solidarity with Marie Mason, Eric McDavid & all Eco-prisoners – we will be running the 2nd annual Never Alone online exhibition. It will serve as an avenue not only for fundraising for these political prisoners, but as a way to reach out informatively to a broad audience on issues of earth & animal liberation and state captivity. We would love to invite you to contribute an artwork to this exhibition.
June 11 started back in 2004 as the International Day of Solidarity with Jeff ‘Free’ Luers, an eco-prisoner sentenced to 22+ years in prison in Oregon (U.S.) for an act of arson against 3 light trucks in an effort to highlight the threat of climate change. This threat is now widely recognised, as was the incredibly unjust sentence that Jeff received. An international campaign of support had a massive impact on the fact that Jeff’s sentence was ultimately reduced to 10 years. By the time he was released in 2009 many other activists in the U.S. had been locked up in prison for standing up for a better world. Two of these prisoners – Eric McDavid and Marie Mason – had been sentenced to 20 and 22 years respectively. Both were sentenced severely for their willingness to fight for a world without oppression – be that of the earth, other animals, or our human communities.
Last year the Never Alone exhibition raised important funds for Marie and Eric’s support campaigns. We want to build on all the amazing support shown by artists and art buyers, and make this year’s exhibition an even bigger and more successful fundraiser. You can still see last year’s online exhibition [here].
Marie and Eric are contributing artworks for the exhibition, as well as a number of other amazing artists already on board. We are inviting a range of incredibly talented artists to contribute, whose art regularly touches on themes of liberation, wilderness and political action. We are very interested in contributions of original work, prints and small sculptures, and any other ideas that artists may have. Please feel free to get in touch and discuss with us any ideas you might have.
The exhibition will be online at www.neveraloneart.org, from June 11-30. It will be promoted heavily through our support networks, social media, and through other June 11 events being organised around the world. Artists involved would need to be able to provide suitable images of their artwork/s, as well as details of the dimensions, medium/s and price (incl. cost of postage within the U.S).
We are hoping that any artists involved will be willing to contribute between 100-70% of the sale of any artworks at the exhibition, with funds raised going directly to the support funds of Marie Mason and Eric McDavid. We would also require artists to be responsible for posting any sold artworks to the purchaser, with those costs being reimbursed to you by our collective.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Expressions of interest close on May 1st, 2014. We really hope to hear from you if you are interested in contributing, and look forward to working with you!
In solidarity,
The Earth First! Prisoner Support Project team
[email protected]
www.supporteric.org
www.supportmariemason.org
Sacramento Prisoner Support have curated an online exhibition of artworks for June 11 – the International Day of Solidarity with Eric McDavid, Marie Mason & Long Term Anarchist Prisoners. The ‘Never Alone’ exhibition will run on this website between June 11-30, 2013.
‘Never Alone’ serves as an avenue not only for fundraising for Marie & Eric, but as a way to reach out creatively and informatively to a broad audience on issues of earth & animal liberation, and state captivity. All funds raised will be split between Marie and Eric’s support funds.
FEATURE ARTWORK
Every few days we will be showcasing a different artist’s work here. Please visit the [Exhibition] page to see all the artworks.
Thanks to the amazing artists who have contributed to this exhibition (click on their name to visit their website) Marie Mason, Eric McDavid, Cristy Road, Josh MacPhee, Eileen McDavid, Jeff Luers, Eva Hall, Corina Dross, Pete Maarseveen, Sofia Yu, Ali Cat Leeds, Matt Guack, Pat Perry, J. Ost, Dee Allen and Yank.
Please support this exhibition by printing out some flyers [for pdf file click here] and sharing them around, particularly if you are hosting a June 11 event!
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De laatste tijd horen we veel gepraat over de eindtijd, en een totale ecologische ineenstorting lijkt aanstaande. Maar wat betekenen deze krachten voor degene in gevangeniscellen? En wat betekenen ze voor ons aan de buitenkant? We proberen om zowel elkaar als stukjes wilde natuur op deze aarde te redden. Onze taak is moeilijk en lijkt soms onmogelijk, want hoe harder we vechten hoe neer repressie ons in de weg staat. Elke dag verliezen we meer diersoorten, meer land, meer vrienden … en dit proces toont geen tekenen van vertraging. Hoe gaan we overleven en blijven we strijden in het gezicht van deze realiteit?
Als winnen ons enige doel was, zou het makkelijk zijn te stoppen. Maar hoewel we wellicht vechten om te winnen, vechten we in deze situatie ook om te leven. Van de buitenkant is het makkelijk om een gevangenisstraf gelijk te stellen aan het einde van alles … maar Marie en Eric vechten nog steeds. Met onze liefde voor hen en onze haat voor hun bewakers intact, vechten naast hen.
Dat betekent niet alleen een voortzetting van onze strijd aan de buitenkant, maar ook interactie met de gevangen op manieren die ze verbonden houd met hun vrienden en collectieven aan de buitenkant. De staat heeft onze vrienden ontvoerd en we moeten ervoor zorgen dat de staat niet succesvol is in zijn pogingen hun te isoleren en te vernietigen. Onze strijd kan alleen doorgaan als we samen strijden.
Juni 11 is een middel daartoe. 11 Juni gaat over herinneren – niet op de manier dat we ons een feit of geschiedenis herinneren, maar een actieve herinnering: een her-innering, het weer in elkaar zetten. Het is vaak makkelijker voor ons om geld in te zamelen en materiële steun te genereren voor mensen die net zijn gearresteerd, dan voor mensen die voor vele jaren zijn opgesloten. Deze dag is voor ons om energie, middelen en liefde te richten op die mensen, die nooit vergeten kunnen worden.
11 Juni is ook uitgegroeid tot een gelegenheid onze internationale banden van solidariteit verder op te bouwen. De laatste twee jaar hebben een ongelooflijke show van steun voor Eric en Marie gezien van mensen buiten de VS, en een aantal pogingen in de VS om solidariteit te tonen met de lange termijn anarchistische gevangenen in andere plaatsen. Dit jaar hopen we meer vertalingen te hebben, meer kruisverwijzingen van onze strijd, en een verdere verbreding van elkaar versterkende solidariteit. We weigeren hun grenzen te erkennen; we willen die weigering tastbaarder maken.
11 juni is slechts een maand weg. Houd een fondswerving, plan een lawaai demo, host een brief-schrijf nacht, of gebruik je eigen context en fantasie om andere mogelijkheden te verkennen. Gebruik je creatieve energie om je kameraden te tonen dat ze niet alleen staan en dat we zullen blijven strijden voor hen, voor de aarde en voor de totale bevrijding. Ze hebben geprobeerd om ons te vernietigen, dat is wat ze doen – maar Marie en Eric, Justin Solondz, Marco Camenisch en zo vele anderen tonen ons die pogingen te overleven. Laat 11 juni een viering zijn van onze gedeelde overleving en weerstand.
De 11 Juni crew
Van plan een evenement te doen op deze dag? Je kan mailen naar june11 [at] Riseup [dot] net. Informatie over gebeurtenissen uit voorgaande jaren en opkomende evenementen is te vinden op www.june11.org.
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