Since the last July 25th International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners, the worldwide struggle against the nightmare of fascism and the far-right has grown and intensified. The news bulletins steadily report the racist and bigoted attacks, the harassment of journalists, the demonization of refugees and migrants, and the increasing presence and violence of organized fascist and far-right groups. While the bigoted, nationalist imagination reproduces itself on a global scale, it also attempts to turn us all into prisoners of the border.
History
The International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners originated in 2014 as a Day of Solidarity with Jock Palfreeman—an Australian man serving a 20-year sentence in Bulgaria for defending two Romani men from an attack by fascist football hooligans. Happily, Palfreeman has been granted parole after serving 11 years of his sentence, but there are still hundreds of others who remain imprisoned for standing up against fascism and hate.
That’s why July 25th is so important; the International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners aims to break down the borders and build an international response against fascism. By having an event, raising money, or dedicating an action to these comrades, we can simultaneously strengthen our local movements by ensuring that those who have acted to protect our communities against the fascist threat are never forgotten, as well as create the links of a powerful international solidarity which can transcend both the prison and the border wall.
In 2020, Antifa International and the International Antifascist Defence Fund will be organizing and promoting campaigns and events around The International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners. This July 25th, 2020 we call on antifascists worldwide to act in solidarity with antifascist prisoners—the comrades who have been behind bars for many years, the friends who have just begun their sentences, the mates still awaiting trial—because they are in there for us, and so we must be out here for them!
