A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #362 - Antifascism - July 25: A Day for International Antifascist Solidarity (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

For eleven years now, antifascist groups have mobilized every July 25 to 
popularize support for incarcerated activists around the world. While 
repression is increasing in France, participating in antifascist 
actions, or simply claiming to be one, can lead to imprisonment in many 
countries. Although we face dissolutions and increasing criminalization, 
supporting our comrades and building international ties is a necessary 
act. ---- Originally created in 2014, this day was created to support 
Jock Palfreeman. Jock is an Australian antifascist who, during a visit 
to Bulgaria in 2007, witnessed two Roma children being attacked by 
racist hooligans. While defending them, he injured two of the attackers. 
The Bulgarian state sentenced him to twenty years in prison[1].

Following a successful initial action, the "International Antifa" 
network was structured and extended the July 25th day of solidarity to 
all antifascists imprisoned or prosecuted for their actions. A large 
number of comrades have been supported year after year, and their plight 
has been made more visible through this initiative. In parallel with the 
day of action, an international antifascist aid fund raises money 
year-round to provide material assistance to persecuted antifascists. In 
2024-2025, 52 antifascists were supported. Since the fund's creation, 
nearly 800 activists have received assistance[2].

Every year, from July 18th to 25th, Rose City Antifa organizes a 
"Postcards to Prisoners" campaign inviting people to send postcards of 
support to antifascist prisoners on the occasion of International 
Antifascist Solidarity Day.
https://supportantifaprisoners.wordpress.com
Expanding the horizons of our solidarity
This year again, a list of prisoners claiming to be antifascists is 
available on the dedicated website[3]. It includes the case of Gino in 
France, imprisoned and awaiting extradition to Hungary, where he is 
accused, along with others, of having prevented a neo-Nazi 
demonstration. Alongside him are several other individuals: Belarusian 
anti-fascists, most of whom have been convicted for mobilizing against 
Lukashenko's dictatorship in 2020[4], activists from the United States 
accused of "anti-fascist conspiracy" for opposing Trump supporters, 
Russian activists tortured following a conspiracy to arrest them, and 
also activists from Germany, Italy, and more, all convicted for activism 
against the far right or for their anti-fascist views.

https://supportantifaprisoners.wordpress.com
The list is obviously incomplete. It depends on who is affiliated with 
the network and is limited to cases of activists convicted for 
"anti-fascism." In the countries already mentioned, expanding the list 
to include revolutionary comrades whose anti-fascist convictions are 
beyond doubt would immediately lengthen it: one thinks of the emblematic 
cases of Mumia-Abu Jamal or Leonard Peltier in the United States. In 
Russia, hundreds of anarchist and revolutionary comrades imprisoned in 
penal colonies, as in Belarus. In France, George Ibrahim Abdallah 
remains in prison, while politically motivated convictions against all 
forms of resistance continue[5].

Seize and strengthen the initiative
One might argue that it has little impact beyond the Western world. In 
Turkey, thousands of activists from the Kurdish left or Turkish 
revolutionary movements are imprisoned. The same is true in Israel with 
Palestinian activists. Beyond that, the situations of our comrades in 
various Asian and African countries deserve to be supported and their 
plight publicized[6].

https://supportantifaprisoners.wordpress.com
Bastille Day at least has the merit of existing and attempting to 
structure solidarity initiatives on a global scale that strengthen our 
camp and our ties across borders. In these times when the far right is 
coming to power or has taken power in many European countries, when 
authoritarian regimes with fascist tendencies are gaining strength, our 
comrades can only count on us, and vice versa. We need a stronger 
structure of international solidarity to bring our anti-authoritarian, 
anti-racist, and anti-imperialist ideals to life. Starting with a 
support action on July 25 could be a first step.

Hugues (UCL Fougères)

Validate

[1]"Call for Solidarity with Anti-Fascist Jock Palfreeman, Facing 
Repression in Bulgarian Prisons," La Horde, July 7, 2014.

[2]"The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund: 2024-2025 Annual 
Report," The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund, June 2, 2025.

[3]"List of Antifascist Prisoners," The International Day of Solidarity 
With Antifascist Prisoners, June 2025.

[4]"Belarus: Cities and Factories Against the Dictatorship," Alternative 
libertaire, No. 309, October 2020.

[5]"Repression: 'December 8' Trial, Are We All Terrorists?», Alternative 
libertaire, No. 346, February 2024.

[6]For example, in the "Anarchist Call for Solidarity: Supporting the 
Exile of Sudanese Anarchists", Alternative libertaire, No. 341, 
September 2023. See also this article in this issue.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?25-juillet-Une-journee-pour-la-solidarite-antifasciste-internationale
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