Create a Freedom Tree with Marius

After 17 years, Marius Mason is finally free. Marius, an environmental and animal rights activist, anarchist, writer, artist and trans advocate, was serving the longest sentence to date for acts of environmental sabotage. He was released to a half way house on May 14th.

Solidarity does not end when our friends get out of prison. While we support them from the outside, they also build relationships of mutual support with others inside. Our movement prisoners act as a bridge between outside support and everyone inside, sharing words, ideas, material support, and solidarity. Alongside the joy of release is the pain of leaving friends behind.

At FCI Danbury, they have a tradition of decorating a special sycamore, the Freedom Tree, whenever somebody is released. This June 11th, the International Day of Solidarity with Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners, Marius has invited all of us to create a Freedom Tree wherever we are for June 11th – at events, at our homes, outside a jail, in a special forest. These Trees and the act of creating them are message of solidarity not only to Marius but to everyone held captive by the state.

Help me mark a day to remember all the friends I left behind, and all of the people we are missing from our movement, and our communities. Anything will do, as long as it is braided or crocheted or knitted to show how we are all part of a whole together, and stronger together than any one strand alone. There is no particular color combination, as many as you have to weave together. We are all different, but all of us belong together and free. Please help me mark this very first Freedom Tree event on June 11th.” – Marius Mason

Solidarity without end.
Until all are free.

Send photos of you and your people and your Freedom Tree to us at June11th@riseup.net or tag us on Instagram or Mastodon. 
Consider covering faces and identifying characteristics if posting publicly.

“The Freedom Tree“

It’s the sycamore tree that’s in the parking lot,
From two day’s warmth, has put out leaves.
The bleached bark, peeling and stark, is shot
Against the sky, arms lifted in a silent plea,
The “Freedom Tree”.
Willing time to move forward, we see it expand,
The days are in those fingertips.
Buds break to burgeon into hands
That sweep the sky, wide, now that wind no longer keens
And grass grows green.
There is a wild crocheted belt that encircles it,
Proof that one of us made it out,
And left behind a sign that’s spun
From everything we dreamed, while we longed to be
Touching this tree.