Abolitionist Bystander Intervention Workshop

This workshop run by Glasgow Prisoner Solidary will explore why we must reject the framing of racist incidents as ‘hate crime’, and ways we can intervene when we witness such harm in public.

Challenging automatic responses such as calling the police or doing nothing, this is a space to explore the multitude of alternative responses available to us.

Together we’ll share skills and build autonomous practices to respond to racist incidents, reduce our reliance on the state and keep each other safe!

Asks for Participants:

The topics covered in this workshop can be sensitive. Although we welcome relevant input based on experience, this is a learning space, not a venting space. We cannot guarantee that emotionally charged reflections will be given the space they deserve.

We recommend making a plan in advance for after the workshop, for example, calling or meeting a friend who can talk with you about what comes up. Please don't repeat harmful language in the space. Regardless of what happens, we encourage everyone to go easy on themselves and resist shame.

Background:

This workshop emerged from work by Remember Resist, a project by Daikon Zine, to expand abolitionist thinking and practice within East and Southeast Asian diaspora organising in the UK. In 2020, in response to the increase in racism against those racialised as Chinese, lots of community groups turned towards the police seeking protection. Knowing that migrant, Black and brown people would only be put further in harm's way by the involvement of the police, Remember Resist ran workshops on hate crime and abolitionist approaches to explore community responses to racist attacks.

A need for mass bystander intervention training emerged from this. It was further developed by workshops hosted by Cradle Community, a transformative justice collective, and Glasgow Prisoner Solidarity in 2023. Glasgow Prisoner Solidarity (GPS) is a small group of people working together to support incarcerated people and spread awareness about prison expansion and abolitionist ideas. We run a pen pal programme and distribute a newsletter, The Interloper. GPS currently meets on the 2nd Thurs of the month 6-7.30pm at Pluto Q for an open pen pal meeting. For more information, email bystanderinterventionscotland@proton.me or follow instagram.com/glasgowprisonersolidarity

We look forward to meeting you