On 30th November the Resistance Kitchen marked 116 days that the #Filton10 have been unjustly imprisoned without trial for disrupting the flow of weapons fuelling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. One of the #Filton10 – Fatema Zainab is still being singled out and denied her mail.
Fatema Zainab Still Denied Mail – #Filton10 Day 116 Read More »
On Saturday 23rd of November, as the Resistance Kitchen marked 109 days that the #Filton10 have been unjustly imprisoned for trying to stop genocide in Gaza, eight more activists were imprisoned for allegedly taking part in the same action of smashing an Israeli armaments research and production facility near Bristol.
Eight More Unjustly Imprisoned – #Filton10 Day 109 Read More »
On Saturday 16th November the Resistance Kitchen marked 102 days that 10 courageous souls have been unjustly imprisoned for upholding international law…
Over 100 Days Of Unjust Imprisonment – #Filton10 Day 102 Read More »
Ten brave people of conscience who tried to stop genocide in Gaza – the #Filton10, have been imprisoned without trial for over 3 months. On Saturday 9th November the Resistance Kitchen marked 95 days of their unjust incarceration.
Three Months Unjustly Imprisoned – #Filton10 Day 95 Read More »
Harvest season is traditionally a time of the year when crops were gathered from the field. A time of generosity and sharing with those less fortunate in the community. This Saturday we were humbled when we received a harvest food collection donated by a local nursery, Daffodils Day Nursery. Our deepest thanks to the nursery, their staff, the parents, and especially the children for their generosity. ❤️ Plight Of Our Community Times are hard, and this is especially true for families with children. Despite changes in government, the two child policy, which is designed to punish poor families from having more than two children, and the unjust benefits cap, ensure that 1 in 3 children in our borough are kept in poverty. Croydon North, where our kitchen is located, is the worst hit with 36.5% of its children forced to live in poverty. Most of those children – over two thirds – are in families with jobs – wages are so low compared to the cost of living that they are still in poverty! We have people working in the same supermarkets that boast how they are helping fight hunger by donating to food banks, coming to our kitchen because their wages are kept so low they cant afford to feed their families. On top of that the Mayor has just announced another maximum allowed by law increase in Council Tax, adding up to a 26.7% increase in just two years, whilst at the same time threatening legal action to close down Nightwatch – the charity feeding the homeless in Croydon every night. Our community is suffering, at the kitchen the lines of guests needing food is increasing each week. A couple of weeks ago when I was going through the queue giving out tickets one woman, clutching her ticket with both hands , looked up and thanked me for the ticket then whispered “you don’t realise but you are keeping me alive”. Its not the first time I have heard this. It’s something no one should have to say in the fifth richest country. The idea that the meagre food we provide stands between life and death for someone in our community is sickening, the right to food is a human right the state is obligated to fulfill.
Harvest Food Collection – Plight Of Our Community Read More »
On Saturday 2nd November the Resistance Kitchen joined over 100 supporters of the #Filton10 outside HMP Bronzefield to protest the unjust conditions and restrictions arbitrarily imposed on the #Filton10 women imprisoned there. The #Filton10 are 10 activists from Palestine Action that have been unjustly imprisoned, without a trial, for trying to stop genocide in Gaza. They are accused of entering an Israeli arms research and manufacturing hub (Elbit Systems) in Bristol on 6th August 2024, and dismantling Israeli killer drones used to commit genocide in Gaza. We gathered in the prisons overflow car park and marched from there to the doors of the prison chanting “Free Free Filton 10 – Free Free Palestine” accompanied by drums. It was intended to be a loud gathering in the hope those inside would hear the support outside. https://youtu.be/2CvDDMzaGjQ This was followed by speeches. Three of the mothers spoke passionately about their daughters, and a letter from Filton10 detainee Charlotte Head to the Attorney General was read out. Other speakers included representatives from some of the organisations supporting the campaign including Cage International, Defend Our Juries, Palestinian Youth Movement, Sisters Uncut, and Nejma Collective. All the speeches are included below. https://youtu.be/o5kYuMEwydg Mother of “Ellie” Leona Kamio spoke about her own wrongful arrest by anti-terror police and imprisonment for 5 days in solitary confinement. https://youtu.be/M7YFzVjC5VQ Spokesperson from Sisters Uncut, an abolitionist group created to fight for the rights of domestic violence victims. https://youtu.be/chbqJhNwjJ8 Mother of Fatema Zainab Rajwani https://youtu.be/0crRZ527bfQ Spokesperson for Nejma Collective – collective of Muslim volunteers who work in solidarity with people in prisons. https://youtu.be/m0E6KSrjUsA Nuha from the Free Filton 10 Campaign, an independent campaign organised by the family and friends of the Filton 10. https://youtu.be/UrlFHQ2MPm4 Shezana Hafiz, Cage International https://youtu.be/M0_6SZz4T3g Spokesperson from Defend Our Juries https://youtu.be/Nvt1rpcrsrA A loved one of “Lottie” Charlotte Head reads a handwritten letter written by Charlotte Head to the Attorney General. https://youtu.be/qOTvga9DnJc Yasmine from Palestinian Youth Movement https://youtu.be/QA-MB8hP1Ck Mother of Zoe Rogers ends the speeches by a song she composed for the occasion. Madeleine Norman Transferred #Filton10 detainee Madeleine Norman has been transferred to HMP Low Newton which is closer to the location of her upcoming trial (12th Nov) for another Palestine action involving disrupting the Edinburgh plant of Leonardo, the producer of laser targeting systems for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets used in the genocide in Palestine and bombing of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran. She had been horrendously abused at HMP Bronzefield. Without any justification she had vindictively been categorised by the prison as an escape risk. It gave them the excuse to enforce draconian restrictions on her. These included not being able to wear her own cloths and prison cloths taken away from her when she was in her cell; every hour – 24 hours a day – guards would make intrusive checks on her to ensure she hadn’t escaped; no access to a phone in her cell; not allowed any reading material; not allowed free movement – having to be escorted everywhere she went like the gym; and not allowed to communicate with her legal representative in relation to the Leonardo case. This last week, the prison finally lifted these restrictions on her, after 100s of supporters phoned the prison to complain. It showed the arbitrary nature of the restrictions and also the power of activists bombarding the prison with telephone calls and letters. With her being transferred, it leaves 5 #Filton10 women still imprisoned at HMP Bronzefield. The Targetting Of Fatema Zainab Of the remaining 5 female detainees at Bronzefield, many of the speakers raised concerns about the treatment of Fatema Zainab. She is particularly being targeted with restrictions and abuse the other women don’t face. Many of these are specifically to do with her being a Muslim, some outright Islamophobic discrimination. Some of these are highlighted below: Hijab. She was forced to remove her hijab and then photos taken of her without hijab. Clips to hold her hijab in place were confiscated, and then prison guards mocked her saying there was no point in her wearing hijab, as having taken her clips, it was not going to stay on anyway. Male guards enter her cell at any time, puposely unannounced not to give Fatema Zainab time to put her hijab on. Prayer Books. She is being denied Islamic prayer books as none of the prison’s authorised resellers sell Islamic prayer books. Her mother brought a prayer book to prison which was confiscated from reaching Fatema Zainab. The two Muslim chaplains at HMP Bronzefield confirmed that prayer books come under religious items and they promised to source it, but both have since resigned. With their departure, Friday prayers and Islamic sessions have seized – one of the few activities Fatema Zainab was allowed to participate in under the arbitrary Non-Association Order. Medical Tests. She has been forced to submit to degrading “random” intrusive medical tests. She has had to submit to 5 “random” urine tests in 2 months. The Prison Service Order 3601 states that 5% of the prison population should be randomly tested for drugs each month – last year HMP Bronzefield tested 4.8% of prisoners. She has been tested 50x that rate. She has no history of taking drugs. The last time when she challenged the testing, they said it was for a pregnancy test! It is categorically illegal to test a prisoner for pregnancy without her consent. When one considers the degrading way these intimate tests are carried out, with loss of dignity and privacy, such frequent testing is clearly designed to humiliate her as a Muslim woman who values modesty. Denial Of Mail. She is the only #Filton10 who is being denied all mail. We estimate well over 100 letters have been sent to her. We ourselves have hand delivered nearly 60 letters, postcards and painting to the prison, some 6 weeks ago. None have reached her. When she asks the guards where is her mail, she is told there is none. Three weeks ago the Resistance kitchen wrote
Protest Outside HMP Bronzefield in solidarity with the #Filton10 Read More »
On Saturday 2nd November the Resistance Kitchen marked 88 days that the #Filton10 have been unjustly imprisoned without trial, for trying to stop genocide in Gaza. The ten activists are accused of dismantling the research and production hub of Israel’s main armaments supplier Elbit Systems in Bristol. #Filton10 detainee Fatema Zainab wrote a beautiful poem in prison “I dream of a love” which her mother first read out at a solidarity event at a university in London. I Dream Of A Love… To the people of Gaza I write to you in my state of love and grief At night I dream of a love so wide and so deep it frees us all It stretches across continents to fill the space between my brown body and yours I wish the love I dream of, was enough I wish the love I dream of would hold your grief the same way that our silence holds violence. When there’s nothing else to write about, I write about love. Because there’s no life worth living, no strength worth perception if not for love The kind of love that forces you to witness The kind of love that does not stay silent Love that is not patient or kind but relentless and harsh I dream of a love so encompassing it hurts. A love that does not make us less afraid But a love that makes us less compromising. At night I dream of a love so wide and so deep it frees us all When dawn breaks I dream of waking up to a love that is not new but old and ancient and unforgiving. The type of love that stands to action There is no greater act of love than standing uncompromising between all which you know and (that destroys) and all which could be (rebuilt anew). Fatema Zainab Rajwani The poem has been wonderfully read in this video by Tania Haberland https://youtu.be/c5_zbPHdJwg New Placard – Justice #Filton10 This week we created a new placard featuring a few lines from this poem by Fatema Zainab. This was also used in the evening at the protest outside the prison where she is caged. PDF: https://resistancekitchen.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fatema-zainab-placard.pdf Weekly Kitchen
Justice for the #Filton10 – 88 Days Read More »
#Filton10 detainee Fatema Zainab is still being denied her mail despite us hand delivering nearly 60 letters and postcards to the prison, some over 5 weeks ago!
Still Being Denied Mail – #Filton10 Read More »
On Saturday 26th October the Resistance Kitchen marked 81 days that 10 young heroes, the #Filton10 have been unjustly imprisoned, without a trial, for trying to stop genocide in Gaza. The state, abusing draconian anti terror powers, has denied them bail and set their trial nearly 16 months in the future whilst they languish in prison, essentially serving a sentence they haven’t been found guilty of.
Perverted Judicial System – #Filton10 Unjustly Imprisoned 81 Days Read More »
Six year old pupil has written to the director of HMP Bronzefield prison to stop withholding mail from his teacher, Fatema Zainab, to let her see the painting he sent her four weeks ago.
“Let my best teacher see my painting” – 6 year old writes to HMP Bronzefield Read More »
