August 10th marks Prisoners’ Justice Day, a day of mourning, remembrance and solidarity with those who have died behind bars. It was launched in 1975 when prisoners at the Millhaven Penitentiary staged a one-day hunger strike to commemorate the death of Edward Nalon, who had bled to death in an administrative segregation cell one year before. To this day, prisoners fast, and refuse to work in honor of those who have died in prison. On the outside, family, friends and allies hold rallies, vigils, and events to demand justice and dignity for prisoners.
Prisoners’ Justice Day is a day to denounce the detention, and double punishment of incarceration and deportation of migrants. It is a day to denounce the racist disparities and over-incarceration of indigenous and Black people. It is a day to protest the expansion of the prison system, as the government prepares to lock more people up for longer periods of time. It is a day to call attention to the role prison plays in upholding capitalism and the state. Above all, it is a day to affirm that we can imagine a world in which prisons do not exist and we are working to make that world a reality.
In Montreal, a week of anti-prison and prisoner-support themed events will be held from August 3rd-11th, 2013. Join us for a series of workshops, film screenings, panels and protests to remember the fallen and to stand in solidarity with prisoners’ struggles both here and around the world.
INFO: www.contrelesprisons.blogspot.ca
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