Bastille Day

No one is free while others are oppressed. Did you know that July 14th is Bastille Day? Maybe you do. If you do not know it already, Bastille Day is a national French holiday whose anniversary is celebrated each year with festivities commemorating the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, France in 1789 which marked the beginning of the French Revolution. This prison symbolizes freedom for all. There will be lots of Bastille day events and parties, food and fun here in America also. And if the thought does not scare you, break the silence and remember the psychiatric prisoners. Psychiatry Kills. Mad Pride celebrates the human rights of people considered different by our society. It may be celebrated anytime but is most often observed in the month of July, usually on or around July 14, Bastille Day. 2007 marks the 26th anniversary of psychiatric survivors using Bastille Day to celebrate Mad Pride. The tradition of using Bastille Day as Mad Pride Day was started in New York by the Mental Patients Liberation Alliance and has since spread around the world. When the Bastille was stormed, two prisoners with psychiatric labels being detained there for that reason were freed. Mad Pride celebrations have grown directly out of an historic but little known international social change movement led by psychiatric survivors and mental health consumers that began in about 1970. MindFreedom International is one of the groups in this movement. The name Mad Pride got its start in London when activists there saw a Gay Pride event and got madly inspired. Mad Pride is not only for psychiatric survivors, it is open to all, whether or not you have been labeled by the psychiatric, psych-cia-trick system. Mad Pride is really about Human Pride. Do not allow our very humanity to be done in by a corporate mental health (death) system that has gone out of control. Stigmatize yourself with pride, celebrate mad pride. To find out more about Mad Pride events in your area visit Mind Freedom. And what does this have to do with a No Police State? Happy Bastille Day.