Abolition saves the planet from ecological collapse
& the prison industrial complex (PIC)!
In the past 252 days, apartheid Israel has leveled hundreds of thousands of Palestinian homes, beaches, countless olive and lemon tree orchards, strawberry fields and crops, dropping more than 80,000 tons of bombs on Gaza. The United Nations has estimated that it will take at least 80 years to rebuild the Gaza Strip, and yet a ceasefire is still not in sight.
A core tenet of apartheid Israel’s military occupation of Palestine is the ecocide of all Palestinian life. To shield against scrutiny into its military operations & to hide genocide, Israel has relentlessly deployed “greenwashing" as a propaganda tactic & broader political strategy. Rawan Masri of Decolonizing Palestine explains in her article for the newest issue of Critical Resistance (CR)'s cross-wall newspaper The Abolitionist that:
"As the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) and others have exposed […], Israel’s occupation of historic Palestine & routine military campaigns ‘serve as a laboratory' in the global development and business of weapons, surveillance technology, & tactics of population control. Israel’s concurrent use of ecocide further advances its military & political objective—to destroy all Palestinian life—an experiment for sale & export."
In order to save the planet, we have to save Gaza first!
In these harrowing times, we hope Issue 41 of The Abolitionist, focused on ecological justice, sheds light on how abolishing the prison industrial complex (PIC) is a necessary steppingstone in saving not only Gaza but the planet.
Printing the week of June 24, this issue’s features of The Abolitionist Newspaper span four different continents, covering grassroots examples of resistance and strategy that bind PIC abolition together with ecological justice in a range of fights from ecocide and genocide in Palestine, toresisting displacement and houselessness in South Africa (with Yvonne Phillys being interviewed by Ruthie and Craig Gilmore), to fracking in Argentina, the aggressive expansion of policing through Cop City in Atlanta, the brave work against pipelines in Appalachia, Indigenous wildfire management in California to sovereignty amidst “mega-projects” in México, a centerfold photo essay on the tactic of blocking boats, and more.
Art for Issue 41 by imprisoned subscriber & artist, Niko Purata.
These feature action articles are anchored by a central feature analysis from Judah Schept, who’s currently organizing as part of a national campaign to stop the aggressive expansion of the federal prison system in Letcher County, Kentucky, coupled with reflections on climate chaos and imprisonment from imprisoned environmentalist lawyer Bryant Arroyo. Exploring the connections between the PIC and ecological disaster, harm & collapse, and amplifying the intersection between PIC abolition and ecological justice, as well as specific cross-sector strategies within these two movements, this issue’s features flower from decades of work by abolitionists and environmentalists joining forces to fight for the world that all our communities, ecosystems, and the planet at large need to live.
Subscribe by June 19to ensure you receive your own copy of the limited edition issue, and help sponsor free subscriptions for thousands of imprisoned people!
Are you a past subscriber of The Abolitionist?Now's the perfect time to resubscribe! After years of prioritizing steady distribution to imprisoned people, CR is now expanding its focus to improve our relationships with paid subscribers. We've switched to a new platform where YOU - the subscriber - can login to your personal Subscriber Portal and manage your subscription at any time.
Phone Line Volunteers needed: Support CR’s prisoner correspondence!
CR is looking for new volunteers to take on 1-2 shifts per month for our Prisoner Solidarity Phone Line program! Through phone calls with imprisoned people, CR strives to foster strong political relationships with people in cages to break cycles of isolation, stay informed on conditions inside, connect people inside with CR's work and campaigns, and to ensure that our work is grounded in the vision and needs of those most impacted by the PIC.
Reach out to [email protected] to get onboarded and get support from CR's Phone Line Coordinators.
