CW: prison brutality
Monday night saw a group of around thirty people travel to Category A prison HMP Full Sutton, the site of the prolonged racist torture of Kevan Thakrar and Dwayne Fulgence, amongst hundreds of others. HMP Full Sutton neighbours the site where the government plans to build a 1440 bed mega-prison.
Along with a sound system, whistles, drums and horns, the protesters circled the prison chanting, “Brick by brick, wall by wall, free them, free them, free them all!”.
The protest was called in response to the treatment of Kevan Thakrar, who is kept in solitary confinement in the prison’s segregation unit. Kevan has been held in a dirty punishment cell with no electricity since the middle of April 2021. His PTSD has been severely triggered as an effect of being held in the same cell where he was previously attacked by guards whilst praying.
Prison officers recently attacked Dwayne, a Black Muslim man held in the segregation unit. Dwayne was severely beaten by 4 white officers in a racist attack. He was left vomiting and dizzy in a cell covered in blood, denied medical treatment and access to a lawyer. His applications to have photos taken of his injuries have been refused by officers. It was three days until the prison staff cleaned the blood from his cell.
A close friend of Kevan has reported back that, “Kevan feels so uplifted and strengthened by the protest. He said all the guys on the seg were buzzing. One guy said he has been in and out of prison for 27 years and was so amazed and said he’d never heard anything like it. Dwayne was also able to hear it all too! Apparently from the inside, it sounded like hundreds of people!
They saw the flares and fireworks too. Apparently, it’s the talk of the prison.
The prison dogs couldn’t stop barking adding to the noise, and an officer was following the protesters around from the inside perimeter fence but was too scared to come out.
Best news was that they unlocked Kev the following day without the four-man unlock (where they make you stand at the back against the wall with riot shields behind you when they unlock your door). So that’s already massive.”
The next protest at HMP Full Sutton is planned for 5th June 2021 at 2 pm. Community Action on Prison Expansion are arranging transport. More details here.
