"Those who have never had the 'right' to speak, take it now". On the testimony of prisoners in struggle through a self-published bulletin in Barcelona, 1976-1978

Abstract

This paper examines the experience of the Barcelona bulletin Quienes no han jamás tenido el “derecho” a la(s) palabra(s), la(s) toma(n) ya [“Those who have never had the “right” to speak, take it now”], which published six issues between 1976 and 1978, in permanent dialogue with the Coordinator of Prisoners in Struggle (COPEL). First of all, we will approach the exercise of taking the floor from prisoners that this publication implied, through the analysis of the messages and communiqués contained in it, but also of the “dismantling” or détournements to which it subjected the general press. Then, the production and distribution practices of the bulletin and its role in the construction of solidarity from the outside will be addressed. Finally, we will locate some of the survivals of this communicative practice from inside the prisons today, pointing out the traces of a living memory in the anti-prison struggle, and identifying once again the centrality of the prison testimony in it.