Robert Maudsley: A Half-Century Behind Bars, Now on Hunger Strike

Robert Maudsley, jailed for 49 years, is on a hunger strike in Feb 2025. Prison took his TV, PlayStation, and books. His brother is worried.

#RobertMaudsley, #PrisonStrike, #WakefieldPrison, #InmateRights, #HungerStrike

https://newsletter.tf/robert-maudsley-hunger-strike-feb-2025-tv-taken/

Robert Maudsley, 71, has spent nearly 50 years in prison. He started a hunger strike in February 2025 after prison guards took his TV and games.

#RobertMaudsley, #PrisonStrike, #WakefieldPrison, #InmateRights, #HungerStrike
https://newsletter.tf/robert-maudsley-hunger-strike-feb-2025-tv-taken/

Today in Labor History March 31, 1927: Cesar Chavez was born. Famous for his role in leading the United Farm Workers and, now, even more infamous for his sexual assaults on women and girls in the movement, it should be pointed out that there were numerous other abusive and rotten aspects to his leadership style that affected both women and men. For example, in 1967, he launched his first of several purges of the UFW, ostensibly to remove Communists. However, there was no evidence of communist infiltration of the union and it was most likely a move to solidify his autocratic rule.

In the 1970s, he blamed “illegal immigrants” and “wetbacks” for UFW failures and launched the "Illegals Campaign" to identify illegal migrants so that they could be deported. His cousin Manuel Chavez established a UFW patrol, or "wet line," along Arizona's border with Mexico to stop illegal migration into the US. Actions such as these led to conflicts with many progressive groups that had previous collaborated with the UFW, including the National Lawyers Guild and the Confederation of Mexican Workers.

In 1977, Chavez became infatuated with the religious cult, Synanon and used Synanon’s “game” to punish union members and enforce conformity and obedience to his authority by subjecting members to harsh, profanity-laced criticism from the rest of the community.

He also expressed support for the brutal Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and specifically his declaration of martial law, which alienated Filipino members of the union, as well as many of the religious organizations that had supported the UFW. Ironically, Chavez had originally travelled to the Philippines in order to win back support of Filipino farmworkers. And, contrary to the official mainstream narrative, it wasn’t even Chavez who had started the UFW, or the Delano Grape Strike. Rather the 1965 grape strike had been initiated by Larry Itliong and the Filipino-led AWOC. The nationwide protest lasted five years and ended with the first union contract for U.S. farm workers outside of Hawaii.

You can read more about the Filipino roots of the farm workers labor movement here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2026/03/25/larry-itliong-and-the-filipino-roots-of-the-united-farm-workers-movement/

#LaborHistory #workingclass #CesarChavez #FarmWorkers #ufw #chicano #mexicanamerican #union #strike #boycot #filipino #hungerstrike #communism

Spain: Two New Political Prisoners Mobilize for María José Baños

Several political prisoners in the Spanish state have launched weekly solidarity fasts to support and demand the release of María José Baños Andújar, a seriously ill anti-fascist prisoner of the GRAPO. The prisoners come from diverse traditions and political affiliations: Victoria Gómez (prisoner of the GRAPO – Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups of the First of October), Juan García (prisoner of the PCE(r) – Reconstituted Communist Party of Spain), Israel Torralba (prisoner of the GRAPO), Nacho Varela (prisoner of the GRAPO), Daniel Pastor (Basque communist prisoner), Patxi Ruiz (Basque prisoner), Israel Clemente (prisoner of the GRAPO), and Fernando García Jodra (Basque prisoner).

Recently, imprisoned rapper and activist Pablo Hasél and Basque prisoner Andoni Goikoetxea Gabirondo announced they were joining the movement. Meanwhile, activist Marcos Martín Ponce began an indefinite hunger strike on February 23, demanding, among other things, that María José Baños be transferred to the hospital by ambulance, while supporters are calling for amplified international mobilization for her release.

Source: https://secoursrouge.org/espagne-deux-nouveaux-prisonniers-politiques-soutiennent-maria-jose-banos/