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Encyclopedia > Anarchist Black Cross
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The traditional symbol of the Anarchist Black Cross.
The traditional symbol of the Anarchist Black Cross.

The Anarchist Black Cross (or ABC) is an anarchist political support organization. The group is notable for its efforts at providing prisoners with political literature, but it also organises material and legal support for class struggle prisoners worldwide. It commonly contrasts itself with Amnesty International, concerned mainly with prisoners of conscience and refusing to defend those accused of encouraging violence.[1] The ABC openly supports those who have committed illegal activity in furtherance of revolutionary aims that anarchists accept as legitimate.[2] Image File history File links Anarchist_black_cross_logo. ... Image File history File links Anarchist_black_cross_logo. ... Anarchist redirects here. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... Class struggle is the active expression of class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a pressure group that promotes human rights. ... Prisoner of conscience (POC) is a term coined by the human rights pressure group Amnesty International in the early 1960s. ...


History

For years, the origin of the organization was under dispute, but recent documents have resurfaced that has narrowed down the time frame. According to Rudolph Rocker, once the treasurer for the Anarchist Red Cross in London, the organization was founded during the "hectic period between 1900 and 1905." Most material discussing ABC history points to this era as the birth of this group. However, according to Harry Weinstein, one of the two men who began the organization, the activties of the group began after his arrest in July or August of 1906[3] . Once released, Weinstein and others provided clothing to anarchist sentenced to exile in Siberia. The group broke off from the Political Red Cross - an organization that provided support for all revolutionary political prisoners- when Weinstein and other anarchists received no support despite ample donations from the anarchist community. Weinstein continued his efforts in Russia until his arrival in New York in May of 1907. Once there, he helped to create the New York Anarchist Red Cross.


During the Russian Civil War (1918-20), the group's name was changed, so as to avoid confusion with the Red Cross. In this era, the groups used various names including: Chicago Aid Fund, Society to Aid Anarchist Prisoners in Russia, Joint Committee to Aid Revolutions Imprisoned in Russia, and the Anarchist Black Cross. During the 1960s, it was reformed in Britain by Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer with a focus on providing aid for anarchist prisoners in Francisco Franco's Spain. The reason for this was Christie's experience of the fascist regime's jail and the importance of receiving food parcels. At that time there were no international groups acting for Spanish anarchist and Resistance prisoners. The first action of the re-activated group was to bring Miguel Garcia, who Christie met in prison, out of Spain on his release. He went on to act as the group's International secretary, working for the release of others[4]. The Russian Civil War (1917-1922) began immediately after the collapse of the Russian provisional government and the Bolshevik takeover of Petrograd, rapidly intensifying after the dissolution of the Russian Constituent Assembly and signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Stuart Christie is a Scottish Anarchist most well-known for his part in the Spanish resistance to the dictator Franco: he was arrested in 1964 while carrying explosives to assassinate El Caudillo. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison but only served three, being released due to international pressure. ... Albert Meltzer (born January 7, 1920 _ died May 7, 1996) was an anarchist activist and writer. ... “Franco” redirects here. ... Miguel García (1908-1981) was a Spanish anarchist activist, forger, and writer, and was a political prisoner under the regime of Francisco Franco. ...


The organization continued to grow, spreading throughout Europe and North America. In 1995, ABC chapters in the US merged into a Federation- the Anarchist Black Cross Federation. While other formations tried to startup, they were unable to maintain long term support. Around 2001, a new organization, Anarchist Black Cross Network, began and attempted to present themselves as an alternative to the ABC Federation. A conflict existed until members of both organization sat down at the Break the Chains conference; since then the two groups have tried to develop a working relationship.


Quotes

  • "When we lost the war, those who fought on became the Resistance. But to the world, the Resistance had become criminals, for Franco made the laws, even if, when dealing with political opponents, he chose to break the laws established by the constitution; and the world still regards us as criminals. When we are imprisoned, liberals are not interested, for we are "terrorists"...."[5]
  • "We believe, as most Anarchists do, that prisons serve no useful function and should be abolished along with the State. We believe in the abolition of both the prison system and the society which creates it. We believe in direct resistance to achieve a stateless and classless society. We share a commitment to revolutionary Anarchism. We see a real need for Anarchists to be militantly organized."[2]
  • "When power is challenged, be it in South Africa, occupied Palestine, Chile, Ireland or Canada, it inevitably turns to violent repression and political imprisonment to maintain itsef."[2]

For other uses, see State (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... For other uses, see Revolution (disambiguation). ... Pretorian Guards, Roman Soldiers Military has two broad meanings. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Current Chapters

Anarchist Black Cross Federation:

  • Los Angeles
  • Jacksonville - P.O. Box 350392, Jacksonville, FL 32235-0392. jax@abcf.net
  • New Jersey - P.O. Box 8532, Paterson, NJ 07508. NJ@abcf.net
  • Philadelphia - PO Box 42129, Philadelphia, PA 19101, timABCF@aol.com
  • Montreal - P.O. Box 42053, Succ. Jeanne Mance, Montreal QC, H2W 2T3, Canada. montrealabcf@gmail.com
  • Winnipeg - 3D-91 Albert Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1G5 Canada. kickittilitbreaks@hotmail.com

Anarchist Black Cross Network: The Jacksonville skyline and the Acosta Bridge. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... For other uses, see Winnipeg (disambiguation). ...

  • Houston - P.O. Box 667614, Houston, TX 77266-7614 houstonabc@riseup.net
  • South Chicago ABC Zine Distro - P.O. Box 721, Homewood, IL 60430
  • ABC Legal Services -Twitch – Entropy, 2900 La Fayette Avenue, #2, Austin, TX 78722 twitchon@hotmail.com
  • Chicago ABC PO Box 1544 Chicago, IL 60690 chicagoabc@riseup.net
  • Twin Cities ABC PO Box 40388 St. Paul, MN 55104 ryan_abcn@yahoo.com
  • Northeast Ohio ABC PO Box 608361 Cleveland, OH 44108-0361 clevelandabc@clevelandfoodnotbombs.org
  • Shoelacetown ABC PO Box 8085 Paramus, NJ 07652 shoelacetownabc@hushmail.com
  • Boston ABC PO Box 230182 Boston, MA 02123 bostonabc@riseup.net

See also

The Anarchist Black Cross Network is a world-wide decentralized and egalitarian network of organizations committed to the original ideals of the Anarchist Black Cross movement -- of seeing prisons and the poverty, racism and genocide that accompanies them to be symptoms of a social order whose last days are near. ... Anarchist Black Cross Federation was created in 1995 when several North American ABC collectives had merged into a federation. ... This article discusses various anarchist symbols, including the circle-A and the black flag. ... Black Flag is the name of a British anarchist newspaper, mainly known for its coverage of international anarchist politics as well as supporting class war prisoners. ... The aim of the prison abolition movement is to eliminate prisons, jails, immigration detention centers, and prisoner of war camps by alternatives which they argue are more useful and more humane. ... The Lexington Avenue bombing was an accidental bombing in a New York City apartment that occurred in 1914, killing four and injuring dozens. ...

References

  1. ^ Prisoner of Conscience: Amnesty International Glossary of Terms, accessed 2006-05-31
  2. ^ a b c What is the Anarchist Black Cross?: Anarchist Black Cross Network, website. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
  3. ^ Yelensky¹s Fable: A History of the ABC: Anarchist Black Cross Federation, website. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
  4. ^ Meltzer, Albert [1996]. "XIII", I Couldn't Paint Golden Angels. Edinburgh: AK Press, 200-201. ISBN 1-873176-93-7. 
  5. ^ Garcia, Miguel, Franco's Prisoner, (1972) Hart-Davis. ISBN 0-246-64070-7

Albert Meltzer (born January 7, 1920 _ died May 7, 1996) was an anarchist activist and writer. ... Miguel García (1908-1981) was a Spanish anarchist activist, forger, and writer, and was a political prisoner under the regime of Francisco Franco. ...

External links

World Wide Web links

Activist prisoners' resources

Freenet link

  • Anarchist Black Cross on Freenet

  Results from FactBites:
 
Anarchist Black Cross; International Black Cross; Black Flag - Organ of the Anarchist Black Cross; Anarchist ... (1824 words)
The title "Black Flag" as the organ of the Anarchist Black Cross, is among the copyrighted material of AI.
But the numbers of anarchists who were attacked by reaction in country after country became too vast for the organization - especially when the depression in the USA made it difficult to raise funds in the last bastion of support for them - the foreign language speaking trade unions in America.
The semilibertarian marxian faction of IBC declined slowly, and the anarchistical ABC and IBC in the North, with secretariate in Oslo, became the main basis for the activity and organization.
Anarchist Black Cross - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (736 words)
The Anarchist Black Cross (or ABC) is an anarchist political support organization.
According to Rudolph Rocker, once the treasurer for the Anarchist Red Cross in London, the organization was founded during the "hectic period between 1900 and 1905." Most material discussing ABC history points to this era as the birth of this group.
During the 1960s, it was reformed in Britain by Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer with a focus on providing aid for anarchist prisoners in Franco's Spain.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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