Last Saturday, 6th of August about 150 people gathered to protest for all charges to be dropped against those who rose up last year against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act. The protesters also demanded freedom for those already imprisoned.

Banners stated: “Free the prisoners, drop the charges” ” Free Charly May, 3 years” ” stray strong fight on”.

According to Bristol ABC at least 82 people were arrested after the monthlong Kill the Bill demonstrations in Bristol last year, so far over 50 people have been charged with riot and 20 have been sentenced. The sentences range between 4 month and 14 years.

A leaflet for the coalition of groups organising the demonstration reads:

For the past years we have watched friends and loved ones get taken into the criminal injustice system, locked for years behind walls of steel, stone and barbed wire. For what? for fighting, for resisting. For saying no. For not accepting the police beating their friends, or strangers, with shields and batons. For not accepting the state continuing to increase its power over already the most marginalised people. For refusing to allow the police to break our demonstration. “Who’s Streets?” – no really, Who’s are they? Or for simply fighting back on no other principle than that the police are the enemy of the people, the long arm of systematic racism, poverty and inequality.

The organisers are clear that they support everybody who has faced charges, no matter what they did to resist the police:

Some did very little, some did a lot. Some did nothing more than refuse to leave their friends whilst the police beat them.

All should be free!

Please send letters to the Kill the Bill prisoners, the addresses can be found here