On 17 July, Michael Adebolajo, who is remanded in custody charged with the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby, was assaulted by prison staff in Belmarsh prison, losing two front teeth during the attack. Belmarsh prison officers have a long history of assaulting prisoners under the guise of ‘control and restraint’ and usually manage to do this without facing sanction. With many prison officers being ex-military, Adebolajo would have been an obvious target. His brother Jeremiah told The Observer: ‘He has been targeted since he arrived there. We have written correspondence, and I speak to him every day, which details the fact that certain guards were hostile. They were always implying they were waiting for the opportunity to do him over, basically. These guys targeted him.’ Five prison officers have been suspended on full pay pending an inquiry.
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! 234 August/September 2013
