Call for a rally at the Chemnitz Women’s Prison of the anarchist feminist anti-prison alliance
On March 6, two days before the international feminist day of struggle, we will demonstrate in front of the Chemnitz Women’s Prison. We want to show the women and Queers imprisoned there: You are not alone! We know that you feel the oppression, the violence and the exploitation in our society. But we also see how many of you fight back, stand up for your rights and help each other – and we stand by your side.
The occasion for our rally is March 8, the international feminist day of struggle. All over the world, women and queers, i.e. people of other genders such as trans and inter people, are taking to the streets to protest the ongoing oppression by men and by a patriarchal system.We are standing shoulder to shoulder around the world against physical, psychological and sexual violence, against the multitude of murders of women, against unpaid domestic and care work, against lower pay, against discrimination, against being forced to marry and have children, against the ban on abortion and against many problems of the system in which we live.
The prisoners in the Chemnitz correctional facility have felt this oppression particularly hard. Many of them come from the very bottom, have worked really hard for family and at the job, have experienced abuse and violence at the same time, and have suffered many psychological and physical injuries. And yes, they have all become “criminals” in some way and have violated some law of this state. But instead of addressing and fixing the underlying problems and helping people, they are convicted, punished and locked away as felons.
In prison, the situation continues: isolation and lack of perspective, work for one to two euros an hour, medical care, harassment by prison management and officials. In the context of the Corona pandemic, prisoners’ rights have also been severely restricted: Recreational activities have been eliminated and visits are very limited. In the end, the prisoners are released with even more injuries, even more problems and stampeded by society.
For us it is clear: Prison is not a solution, but part of the problem! That is why we support prisoners in resisting these impositions. Be it petitions to the prison, reports for the public, signature collections, hunger and sit-in strikes – all this has happened in Chemnitz Prison as well. There are always prisoners who stand up for themselves and for each other, and we are by their side.
Even if March 8 is now a holiday in Berlin, even if feminist movements have forced the state to make many concessions – we have learned that we cannot rely on the promises of parties, parliaments and states. After all, one can see it most clearly in the prison system how little this system works. It is here that some of the most vulnerable groups in our society are hit the hardest. They are locked away and harassed instead of receiving real and long-term support. That’s why we realize that we have to stick together, that we have to take it into our own hands. From both sides of the walls, that’s why we’re reaching out, hooking up, and fighting together for our liberation.
Come two days before the international feminist day of struggle, on March 6, 2022 at 3 p.m., to Thalheimer Straße 29 in front of the Chemnitz Women’s Prison and set a sign together with us. Stop the patriarchy, get rid of the prison!