Support antifascist prisoner David Campbell and anti-ISIS prisoner Aidan James

David Campbell, a New York-based antifascist, is starting an 18-month sentence after being convicted of “gang assault”, a charge that sounds similar to the notoriously terrible principle of “joint enterprise”, allowing people to be convicted for someone else’s actions. To make things a little easier while he’s inside, you can donate money here, send him a message using this form which his friends will print out and pass on to him, or pick something off his very extensive reading list (or even choose a book you think he’d like that’s not on there) and order a copy to be sent to:

David Campbell #3101900657
Eric M. Taylor Center
10-10 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY  11370

“If you’d like to write to David, but aren’t sure what to write about, here are some suggestions:

• the last time you saw a good play, or your favorite play
• the last time you saw a good movie (especially a good horror movie!), or your favorite horror movie
• the last time you read a good novel, or your favorite novel
• the last time you saw some good art (especially contemporary art!), or your favorite artist/museum
• the last time you were hiking/camping/in nature, or your favorite place to spend time in nature. Tell me about the sights, sounds, smells, etc.
• the last delicious home-cooked meal you ate
• the last time you witnessed or participated in an act of kindness or solidarity.
• weird history/radical history
• mind-blowing science
• outer space
• the ocean
• body horror
• fish
• satire
• brutal realism
• transcendental states
• geometric shapes
• climate catastrophe
• decadent wealth (ever toured Versailles or something similar?)
• the trust-security dilemma (how opening up and taking risks allows for growth, but can also open you up to exploitation)”

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Aidan James has been convicted on one terror charge related to his time fighting with the YPG against ISIS, which I think makes him the second British citizen, after Shilan Ozcelik, to be convicted for this kind of activity. I can’t currently find any kind of organised solidarity campaign, or even a confirmation of what his address is, but will share more information as I find it. I don’t romanticise Rojava, and I have my criticisms of groups like the PYD and YPG, but I want to be able to discuss those criticisms openly and honestly with others, without anyone worrying that any part of the conversation might be illegal. Nothing good can come of increased state repression against YPG/YPJ volunteers and supporters.

On a related note, this recent article by Michael Karadjis is another recommended read that takes a clear stand against the Turkish invasion without whitewashing or mythologising the PYD.