The Sharp Pricks of Conscience

1st December is Prisoners for Peace day. It is the day to remember those who are in prison because they have refused to adapt their conscience to accommodate war and preparations for war. All over the world there are men and women behind bars who could be physically free if only they would agree to bend their conscience a little. Many of them have argued that they feel in fact more free behind those bars but with their consciences intact.

It is easier to resist the demands of authority in a country like Britain, where dissidence, though hardly encouraged, does not automatically result in arrest. British dissidents of the past have achieved that much for the present generation. Nevertheless many British peace protestors have served and are serving prison sentences.

War Resisters International produce a newsletter, The Broken Rifle, which specialises in news of conscientious objectors and other dissidents who have been imprisoned world wide. Therein are the addresses of prisoners, and the public is asked to write them letters of support. Prisoners affirm the support that receiving a letter gives them.

You can donate to WRI and get the newsletter by writing to: War Resisters International, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX