Montréal Counter-information

 

From Toute détention est politique

For the fifth consecutive year, a noise demo was held in front of the detention centers in Laval to wish prisoners a happy new year and show them our solidarity.

The group of about 60 people accompanied by musical instruments and fireworks gathered in front of Leclerc penitentiary, the Immigration Center, the transitional residences B16 and the Federal Training Center (FTC). The rally was also an opportunity to remember Arash Aslani, a former detainee at the Immigration Detention Center who died this year. He began a hunger strike in 2005, which led to his release after almost a month. He since continued to be involved in struggles for migrants (To know more, click here). The migrants’ detention conditions in Canada are particularly alarming, often being held for indefinite periods without charges or trials. It should also be mentioned that at least two migrants died during their detention in these centers this year.

About Leclerc’s transfer – One year later

The women’s transfer from Tanguay’s Prison to Leclerc last February brought many problems and violence against prisoners, already in a position of vulnerability imposed by a sexist, racist and capacitist prison system. The transfer carried out in a completely disorganized way created tensions related to the mixity in the prison among others in the case of strip search. The absurd time limit for the provision of basic services, the inaccess to personal effects and failure to respect the health conditions of women prisoners are serious violations that the State allows itself to perpetrate with impunity.

It should also be mentioned that the correctional officers in the prison are mostly men and that the only effort made in this direction is a simple 4 hours training on the women’s reality in prison. The League of Rights and Freedoms and the Fédération des Femmes du Québec (FFQ) asked for an observation mission to the prison in May, which was rejected by the government and the FFQ subsidies were cut due to Austerity measures. In result, half of the team was laid off, letting them unable to continue the pressures.

Currently, the Minister of Public Safety says that the opening of three new prisons in Amos, Sept-Îles and Sorel-Tracy will help transfering the 84 male prisoners of Leclerc by June 2017. He also suggested in October that he was considering the construction of a new prison adapted for women in western Quebec. This general approach of the government doesn’t seek to tackle the core of the problem and is part of a general idea of strengthening the prison system. Creating more prison isn’t a solution, it’s necessary to reduce the number of people in prison. The least would be to revise sentences for minor offenses and to explore other solutions, especially in indigenous communities who are the most affected. The actual situation creates the fragmentation of their communities, remoteness and subjects them to colonial institutions which are not recognized in their traditions (alternative justice, spiritual justice, etc.).

WE DON’T WANT BETTER PRISONS, WE WANT THE END OF PRISONS!

From It’s Going Down

For the eighth consecutive year, anarchists in Southern Ontario gathered to ring in the new year with a series of noise demos outside prisons in the area. We do this to demonstrate our opposition to the prison system and the world that maintains it, and to remind those on the inside that they are not forgotten.

We started our night off at the Niagara Detention Centre – an institution known for extreme overcrowding, inmate suicide, and hunger striking migrants. In the pouring rain, a crowd of 35 people gathered and marched along the perimeter of the prison. A full marching band in balaclavas played, while others set off fireworks and chanted. A handful of screws tried rushing us off the property but were met with insults and disregard as we finished our loop and left without incident.

From there we headed to Hamilton’s downtown Barton Jail, where our numbers doubled. Infamous for particularly egregious conditions, the prison was recently in the news for losing its heat for weeks in the middle of a cold spell. Stories circulated of temperatures dropping so low that water was freezing in the cells and inmates were forced to wear socks on their arms in attempts to stay warm.

An annual stop for our noise demo tradition, this year we wanted to make more of an effort to communicate with those on the inside. We produced a short video and using a handheld projector played it on loop on the side of a building visible from inside the jail. Prisoners were seen cupping their eyes, looking out their windows to read the messages on the wall.

Balaclavas, fireworks, and paint bombs were distributed before we started, and year after year people have come to expect this and join in on the fun. The prison and prisoner transport vans were covered in paint, people chanted and held banner that said “Turn up the Heat” and after a ton of fire works were lit, we left on our own terms.

Against prisons and its world,
The Anarchists

Anonymous submission to MTL Counter-info

On the night of December 31, a small group of people went to the Joliette federal prison for women, with a banner, casseroles (pots and pans) and fireworks, in order to continue the tradition of celebrating New Years with those locked up behind the walls of the State.

When we arrived, two women inmates were in the yard of the prison, and asked us to leave. One of them left running to potentially alert someone to our presence, while the other explained that if we don’t leave, their visits the next day will be canceled. Unlike last year, the women stayed inside the housing units while looking out the windows. We shot off some fireworks while leaving, not knowing how to react. We believe that the authorities punished the inmates last year for our presence and their enthusiasm by perhaps blocking their visits and putting them in lock-down. We don’t find this surprising on their part, given that they maintain their authority by imposing fear, and in this way, repressing desire for freedom.

Until the last brick, let’s destroy every prison!