Hull prisoners revolt, 1976 - The Red Menace

Paul Hill
Paul Hill

Paul Hill of the Guildford 4's account of the 1976 riot at Hull prison.

Submitted by Spassmaschine on August 11, 2009

The years the Guildford Four spent in jail were not simply wasted time in which they sat and waited in the hope of eventual release. Every day in prison they faced a struggle to maintain their humanity against a system that denies it. Here we reproduce an account by Paul Hill [of the Guildford 4] of one moment in this struggle - the Hull prison riot of 1976.

For four days in September 1976 prisoners took over 3 of the 4 wings of Hull prison. As well as Paul Hill, participants in the riot included Irish Republicans (such as Martin Brady), Jake Prescott (in prison for his activities with the Angry Brigade) and various ‘ordinary criminals’: in struggles such as these it becomes clear that all prisoners are political.

The immediate cause of the riot was the beating up by screws of a prisoner in the segregation unit. Other grievances included the widespread and indiscriminate use of ‘Rule 43’ (allowing for solitary confinement), and slave labour conditions in the prison workshops, where furniture was made for prisons in Iran. The latter explains why during the riot prisoners on the roof shouted "Fuck the Shah of Iran! Fuck the Shah of Iran!"

After taking control of the buildings and freeing those held in the segregation unit, the prisoners found files held on them by the authorities. Furious at the contents of these files (Paul Hill’s for instance included the remark "Never to be released"), "everyone decided to begin demolishing the prison with their bare hands" (Jake Prescott). As well as causing extensive damage, the prisoners held a roof top protest during which they talked to a crowd of 400 school children who gathered on the other side of the wall, throwing them sweets, toys and money ‘liberated’ from the prison canteen.

The protest was called off in return for a promise of no brutality and no damage to prisoners’ property. Once they surrendered however their possessions were smashed and they were severely beaten up by prison officers. Irish prisoners were forced onto their hands and knees and told to sing ‘God save the Queen’, black prisoners were racially abused.

A prisoner described one of the beatings he witnessed: "I then heard another being dragged down the stairs, this was a boy of 23 named Paul Hill. He had shoulder length hair and it was by this that he was being pulled down the stairs helped by full blooded kicks to his stomach, chest and back, he was literally thrown down the last few stairs with the words "Remember Hull ‘76’ ".

(This account is taken from "Don’t Mark His Face - Hull Prison Riot ‘76" published by the National Prisoners Movement).

Paul Hill’s account
I was involved in the protest at Hull. The events that led to this protest are already known by you, so I will start from after the thing was over, and when we were put in strip cells in B wing. After being in my cell for about two hours, six screws came in led by a screw called Nobby Clark, they asked me for my medal around my neck. As it was of sentimental value I refused. I was then pushed into a corner and held down while Clark ripped it from my neck. They gave me a few petty slaps and then left. That night we were each (l think) given a mattress, no blankets, anyway the screws made it impossible for sleep as they roamed like little armies around the landings (in the total darkness ) banging doors, screaming in their usual lunatic ways, only some cons got more than verbal, on my landing I know of at least one con who they set about in his cell, and throughout most of the night, I heard others getting the by now ‘normal treatment’. I was very lucky on the Friday night because apart from the verbal I was left alone. By Saturday morning most cons I’m sure felt as I did, cold, tired and hungry and most of all afraid of what was to come.

‘The beatings’- not a feeling of fear as such, but a feeling of despair knowing each of us were totally helpless, I heard the screws work their way along my landing one at a time, cons were battered to breakfast and battered back again, when they got to me I was opened up, grabbed by the hair and dragged along the landing. I was kicked and punched about the body the whole way up the landing by screws who screamed and yelled as if they hated me more than anything in this world. I was in a ball to protect my face, head and privates so they lifted me by the hair and dipped my face in a tray of jam, I was then beaten back down to my cell and dumped on the floor, a few minutes later they came back again and said bye byes.

I was again beaten along the landing and down two flights of stairs, I was lucky enough to have a prisoner who was battered down in front of me witness my beating at the bottom of the stairs. He has said he will back me up in any court proceedings that I may take. This con is B.Coster who I am with at present. We then saw another con P.Rajah (also here) receiving the same treatment that we had. We were then handcuffed and taken to the police wagon and taken here. We each petitioned for access to a brief. This has been refused us, as they want us to tell them our full story first, which we won’t do, as whoever beat us up will be told in advance to say they was elsewhere.

While at Hull I got my small record (file) and some of the lines about me are as follows:

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  • That in Albany Prison I spoke of my willingness to take hostages, they said I might kill them.

  • That at all times I am moody and show my hate for the screws by being unco-operative.
  • That anyone who has ever spoken to me has said I express a desire to escape.

    And no. 4 is the one that frightens me. They said I am totally suicidal. I am of sound mind and anyone who knows me says I’m happy go lucky. The reason I worry over this is why should they say this knowing it to be untrue? They also state other matters, some of which I don’t want to reveal to anyone other than my brief as they were to do with my case and he is at present trying to have it re-opened and I don’t wish to hinder his efforts. I think what disturbed me most of all was the fact that they had an intimate bit on each of the main witnesses at my trial and the part that angers me most of all is that they have a section in it on my girl (who has a child by me). They underlined in red This relationship must be ended. Not content with their efforts to wreck us they also wish to wreck our families. My record finished by stating again underlined in red - must be treated with strict discipline at all times.

    We are bit by bit becoming more frustrated here as we are here and suffering over a prisoner who was beaten up at Hull, yet since coming here we have heard of guys being beaten and put in the ‘strong box’ naked. I fear that if these things are not brought to light then someone will be killed as it’s all too easy.

    These people (screws) are their own law, and that is the law of the boot and the fist, all this is sanctioned by their lords (the govs.). I’ve been in 9 prisons in two years and I thought I’d seen the lot. But I ain’t seen as much brutality towards cons as I’ve seen at Hull and Here (Leicester). All we can do is protest verbally over these beatings here, but I might as well talk to the bog roll than do that, cause all we get in return is shit. If any of us were to raise our hands we would be battered, so what do we do? Listen to shit, get battered or hide in our cells like cowards and go insane listening to cons screaming?

    We are human beings and we want to tell the world we’re human because if we don’t, after more of this we won’t be human very long, we’ll be shells or dead. Some people may say I read too many violent books but I know in my soul that if they came into this cell and clubbed me to death, that not one of them would face the law; remember THEY ARE THE LAW IN OUR WORLD...

    In Hull I was one of the four cons who busted those in the seg unit out and I witnessed A.Clifford and I say now that the side of his face was marked, no one could ever tell me otherwise, as I seen with my own eyes. I also felt and adored the feeling of how the cons on the block hugged us as if we had just broke them from hell, some were so happy they had tears in their eyes, and I didn’t even know these ‘crazy happy guys’. But to me it felt like they were my brothers (and they are) as I’m one of them, a con. I suppose people see us on the box looking like some kind of Cambridge rapist all masked up only what they saw was human beings, that’s what we are. (We all got balls and brains but some got balls and chains). We only want to live like human beings.

    I’m doing recommended natural life, and I fear for my sanity and safety with what I see around me every day. From what I’ve seen of those who look after our health - at Hull the MOs (Medical Officers) ran alongside the screws yelling "Don’t mark their faces". These people are medical officers yet they are breaching the laws of the Red Cross on the treatment of prisoners passed by the Council of Human Rights. I would die of an illness before I would have them anywhere near me with their mind eating drugs.

    As far as protesting to the ‘guv’ about beatings and our treatment I will tell you how much they care - at Hull while B.Coster, myself and P.Rajah were being beaten downstairs the AG (Assistant Governor) there, a dog called Manning, watched in the middle of 20 screws and grinned to himself. I’m not saying he was grinning at the pain we were in. No, he was no doubt grinning at the good (wonderful) job that his staff (army?) were doing! So who do we protest to? We each feel as helpless as new born babies we only wish our minds felt as light as theirs, as we each know what we have (and still are) experienced will never be erased from our minds.

    The Red Menace, number five, January 1990. Taken from the Practical History website.

  • Comments

    jock

    11 years 11 months ago

    In reply to by libcom.org

    Submitted by jock on December 25, 2012

    II was there in1976 at hull prison witnessed much of what Paul Hill stated. witnessed many assaults and gave evidence at york crown court 3 years later, in 1978.13 guards were convicted. (one later got of on appeal, on a technicality. at the time of the trial when i gave my evidence, a brief account of my evidence appeared on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. I remained within Hull for two months, in solitary conditions, as with other prisoners and then was transferred with numerous other prisoners to various prisons in London. i went to Wandsworth, where i spent further months down the block. I am present working on my life story, part of which includes the 21 years i spent within English prisons. I give brief mention as to Hull, in my book, 'The Silent Cry' re: the Bosnian War.Brutality within Hull prison was nothing new to me. I had known such , and even worse within Durham Prison and also within Reading(prison )Borstal.It was closed down because of the brutal regime there. i was there at its closure in 1968.

    Although we had 12 of the accused prison guards convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Assaults upon Prisoners, these guards were only given Suspended Sentences, and allowed to carry on working until their appeals were refused! John B. MACPHEE

    PS A full account will be given in my new forthcoming book( AND THEN... THE RAIN CAME), of my part in the HULL PRISON RIOT in 1976, giving new insight as to the actual reason for the riot and as to records within the prison Security Offices. My ,which i liberated, stated that i had committed 4 murders. a nonsense to say the least. also that i would kill to escape and much more.jbm

    Steven.

    11 years 11 months ago

    In reply to by libcom.org

    Submitted by Steven. on December 26, 2012

    Hi John/Jock thanks very much for that. We may well be happy to host here and extract of your book about the Hull riot, which you could use to promote your book if you like. Send us an e-mail to admin at libcom.org

    Harrison

    11 years 10 months ago

    In reply to by libcom.org

    Submitted by Harrison on February 4, 2013

    fuck off yorts

    (EDIT: this comment was in reply to a now deleted troll comment)

    rat

    11 years 10 months ago

    In reply to by libcom.org

    Submitted by rat on February 3, 2013

    Cheers, jock, thanks for the info.

    (Forget Yorts, clearly a pointless parasite.)