On 4 November Muslim prisoners in Full Sutton took a stand against weeks of gradually tightening restrictions on them and their visitors. Their protest was violently repressed.
In a reversal of previously accepted norms, prison staff had decreed that the recognised religious headwear allowed on visits would be turbans for Sikh men and hijabs for Muslim women. Anything else, including prayer caps worn by Muslim men, would be prohibited.
Despite hijabs being permitted, Muslim women visitors have been subject to petty and degrading harassment including having the pins for hijabs confiscated, and being made to take off their socks and shoes, and in some cases hijabs, in front of male officers.
In a widely-shared social media post, Anti-Carceral Solidarity reported that ‘in response to ever increasingly repressive conditions…there was an uprising on A-wing.
Prisoners fought back against violent officers and took control of part of a wing. The nationals, the team which represses resistance, brutalised those who took part in the uprising. Eyewitnesses have told us that prisoners were handcuffed behind their backs,…knocked unconscious and severely beaten…Some prisoners have serious injuries, including head injuries and broken bones. They have been denied healthcare.’
For more information and draft complaint emails to send to the prison governor, see @anticarceral_solidarity on Instagram
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 303 December 2024 /January 2025
