Since the proscription of Palestine Action came into effect on 5 July, a further nine pro-Palestine activists have been remanded in custody. While expressing support for an organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act is a criminal offence, this does not prevent people writing to these prisoners, following their court cases, monitoring and complaining about their treatment in prison. Such acts of solidarity are more vital now than ever.
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! has a long history of supporting prisoners in struggle. As part of this we give space on the Prisoners Fightback page to current and former prisoners to express their views. Over the past year we have included contributions from those incarcerated because of their alleged actions in solidarity with Palestine. We will continue to do this.
Below we publish a contribution from AUDREY CORNO, written while she was held in HMP Bronzefield prior to being released on bail on 21 June, alongside a piece from former life-sentence prisoner and regular FRFI contributor JOHN BOWDEN who highlights the importance of building solidarity with people behind bars as part of the wider class struggle.
Prison struggle is class struggle!
The recent arrest and imprisonment under counter-terrorism powers of pro-Palestinian activists raises the question of how solidarity can be shown to those in prison.
Unfortunately, most of the so-called ‘revolutionary left’ in Britain has never recognised the revolutionary significance and potential of the prison struggle or how prisons can, in the words of Malcolm X, be ‘universities of revolution’.
The increasing use of counter-terrorism laws to criminalise political protest will result in an increasing population of political prisoners who, while remaining committed to fighting the system from within prison, must be shown solidarity and support from this side of the prison wall.
The Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG) has uniquely supported prisoners and their struggle for decades, recognising that prisons are an integral part of the repressive apparatus of the capitalist state, and that the prison struggle is a vital part of the wider class struggle. The RCG has expressed solidarity with prisoners in a number of ways, organising protests, establishing written and phone contact with prisoners, and freely supplying FRFI and revolutionary literature to prisoners, often in the face of fierce and unlawful pushback from prison administrations. The prime purposes of such solidarity are to reassure prisoners that their struggle is an important part of the broader class struggle and that they therefore have our support as comrades, and to assist in the creation of a network of prisoner resistance within prisons themselves.
During the 1970s and ‘80s the struggle of prisoners became a central part of the Irish republican political struggle. The RCG supported that struggle and from this, came further understanding of the situation of so-called ‘social prisoners’, incarcerated as a result of poverty, racism, misogyny and the systemic oppression of the working class under capitalism.
With the steady increase of those imprisoned for showing support for the Palestinian cause, the RCG will again have a crucial role to play in organising together with others to build solidarity for those prisoners.
John Bowden
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Heed the call from Palestine
My name is Audrey, I’m almost 23 and I’m a performing artist and facilitator. I never thought I would be an actionist, but I also never thought I would watch a genocide on my phone, live-streamed on social media by people my age, through tears. So here we are.
On 17 April, I was remanded in custody at Bronzefield prison. I had been arrested following an action at GRID ‘Defence’ Systems, a military hardware supplier of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer. GRID specialises in targeting systems amongst other equipment indispensable to Israel’s genocide on Palestinians. The judge noticed that a year prior, I had also been arrested following an action at the Ministry of Defence in protest against British government participation in the genocide.
After about a week on the induction wing, I was moved to the Young Adults wing, alongside Ray and Zahra, of the Filton 18, who I am honoured to now call dear friends.
A few days in, something curious happened – I was on the phone when Ray knocked on my door and asked me to go up to their cell. Many months prior, I attended a letter-writing event at the encampment at the London US Embassy. I wrote several postcards to the political prisoners who were, at that point, the Filton 10. I wrote my return address on the cards and forgot about it. When I entered Ray’s cell, they invited me to sit on their bed which was sprawling with postcards and handed me one which I thought looked familiar – I turned it around to see my name and address. We were both amazed – after so much time, they had only just received a letter of solidarity I wrote six months before I joined them in prison and was placed in the cell immediately below them.
Once we had finished squealing over this strange situation, I asked them how they felt when receiving this kind of post. Their answer surprised me at first. They told me that in the inevitable low moments in prison, kind words from strangers are a comfort, but at the same time, they couldn’t help but feel frustrated. ‘If you say my actions are inspiring, then take action!’ they said.
This sentiment clicked for me soon after. Despite the immense gratitude to people who have taken the time to write to us, there’s something deeply bittersweet about being called a ‘hero’ or ‘exemplary’. Palestinians have always been the people to look up to for their unrelenting resistance and steadfastness. From the belly of the beast, in the heart of Empire, our role is to listen to what they ask of us – Boycott, Divest, SANCTION. There is a growing, righteous movement to support political prisoners in Britain. The most important way to do this is to join the movement – to continue the work, to struggle alongside, to confront Britain’s involvement in the genocide. As my comrade Zahra writes, we are in a state of emergency, and we MUST respond.
Audrey Corno
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! 307, August/September 2025
