We do not know Mpe personally—at least not until this case brought us into relation with him. We are not part of the advocacy circles, not activists, nor are we the sort who habitually bustle behind the scenes of movement theater. Yet we stand unequivocally on his side. He is a young man from Bandung arrested during the May Day 2026 demonstration for taking part in acts of arson, swiftly charged with terrorism after Densus 88 uncovered his coordination with others via WhatsApp groups. The consequence? Far heavier sentences, of course. Was Mpe reckless? Undoubtedly—but that is beside the point.
At first, word circulated that he had already secured legal counsel from Bandung’s advocacy networks. Photographs of the arrest warrant spread, and comfortable assumptions followed. No one suspected any deeper rot. Only after three weeks did the truth surface: Mpe had received no independent defense whatsoever. The police merely offered lawyers of their own choosing. These “neutral” advocates, who supposedly safeguard the rights of the accused, in practice—as those familiar with the machinery of law well know—serve the investigators. The result? Prolonged interrogation without genuine protection—a classic disciplinary process in which the judicial and carceral system does not merely punish, but molds bodies and souls, transforming living subjects into controllable objects through systematic surveillance, isolation, and pressure. All of it seamlessly integrated into the functioning of society.
Continue reading May Day Bandung 2026: The Spectacle of Advocacy and Advocacy as Spectacle (Indonesia)
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.
The summers of 2022 and 2023 were marked by two major struggles waged from inside the prison by our anarchist comrade Yannis Michailidis. With his primary demand being his release, which the state vindictively denied despite the years he had already served, G.M. escalated his protest to a hunger strike, reaching a critical health condition on both occasions. On the 30th day of his second hunger strike, he decided to further escalate his protest with a thirst strike, which ultimately resulted in the victory of his struggle and his subsequent release.
On Wednesday, May 20, about thirty people gathered in front of the Brussels courthouse, a hideous, imposing, oppressive, and gloomy building. Outside, police quickly arrived to look for someone in charge. As no one would answer them, the police said they knew the group was there for the trial of an anarchist. Indeed, they had come to observe 
