ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Prison protester Mike Williams was released on bail Thursday morning.
He didn’t want to comment to media gathered at court, but a half dozen supporters were there at his side. Williams had spent the night in custody but was in good spirits Thursday morning.
While he didn’t speak outside court, Williams let loose in a more than four-minute YouTube video, calling out some politicians with expletives, while thanking those who supported him.
He said because he’s banned from HMP, that once he was cleaned up, he’d take his protest to Justice Minister Andrew Parsons’ office.
‘Now minister of Justice I am f—kin’ coming in to see you for the next nine f—kin’ days,” Williams said in the video, which began with his rendition of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'.”
“Thank you people for your support. I got to pay a $750 bail and now I haven’t got five cents to eat," he said, detailing his disdain for food at the holding cells.
Besides standard conditions, he was banned from area around the HMP, and is also banned from the city lockup, unless he ends up there in custody. His bail was $700.
“They put me in Cell 10, there was blood, shit and feces all over the walls. Then when they come give me my dinner, the baloney was all black. The beans were all dry and I hove that up against the walll. ... This morning there was a slice of toast, one egg and a glass of juice and a yogurt. I banged that up against the wall, so I didn’t eat any of that food.”
Williams was led away from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary Wednesday morning based on an incident alleged to have occurred Monday.
Williams, who lives in Toronto, returned to St. John’s, to protest conditions inside the penitentiary, as well as youth issues, mental health and addictions issues in the province. According to Williams, he had been an inmate there years ago, as well as other prisons around the country.
Williams began his protest March 7.
According to court documents, it's alleged that on Monday, Williams uttered a threat to cause death or bodily harm to HMP staff. A second count, also alleged to have occurred that day, claims he threatened to burn, destroy or damage HMP property.
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