Anarchists gathered at HMP Bristol on Friday 21 September, at 8 pm. As darkness fell, fireworks were launched over the prison to protest the rearrest of anarchist Toby Shone and to let him know he is never alone.

An armed police unit arrested Toby while driving to Gloucester at 9 am on Tuesday 19 September. Ashley Fussell of the National Security Division, South West apparently ordered the arrest. The armed police unit is based at Bamfurlong, Gloucestershire, and was involved in Toby’s original arrest in November 2020.

Toby was arrested and recalled to prison for alleged breach of license conditions. He is accused of having an unauthorised phone and attending an “anti-state” dinner and letter-writing night for anarchist prisoners held by the Bristol Anti-Repression Campaign at BASE Social Centre in August. These alleged breaches apparently warranted an arrest by an armed counter-terrorist unit. The cops want him to serve the remainder of his sentence, which means he will not be released until November 11, 2024.

Toby had just been released from the Approved Premises premises in Gloucester, where he had been forced to live since getting out of prison at the end of December last year. Probation could no longer make a case for keeping Toby there under extreme curfew as the hostel needed the room and also didn’t understand why he was still there. He had been in his new flat in the Forest of Dean for just 9 days.

You can send books and letters to Toby at:

Toby Shone A7645EP
HMP Bristol
19 Cambridge Road
Bristol BS7 8PS

Donations to his support fund can be made to The Bottled Wasp, which can be found at brightonabc.org.uk/bottledwasp.html

Fire to the prisons!

Some Anarchists