Anarchist Black Cross

Part of the Philosophy series on Anarchism

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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]

History

The traditional symbol of the Anarchist Black Cross.

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. In 1918, Nestor Makhno organized new chapters of the Black Cross in the territories of Ukraine controlled by the Black Army.^[4] The organization's purpose was shifted from prisoner support, to emergency medical response. With the onset of attacks from Cossacks, White Guards, pogromists, and later the Red Army, the Ukrainian Black Cross took on the unique secondary role of city self-defense, and organized the first urban army in Ukrainian history. The city militias the Black Cross organized operated as an adjunct to the Black Army, but were never a mobile force, being primarily city based. Members wore no formal uniforms, but were identified by wearing denim overalls and distinctive armbands. 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^[5]. 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"...."^[6]
• "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 itself."^[2]

Current chapters

Anarchist Black Cross Federation:

• Los Angeles
• Jacksonville
• New Jersey
• Philadelphia
• Montreal
• Winnipeg

Anarchist Black Cross Network:

• Houston
• South Chicago ABC Zine Distro
• ABC Legal Services -Twitch – Entropy, Austin, TX
• Chicago ABC
• Twin Cities ABC
• Northeast Ohio ABC
• Shoelacetown ABC
• Boston ABC

See also

• Anarchist Black Cross Network
• Anarchist Black Cross Federation
• anarchist symbolism
• Black Flag
• Prison abolition movement
• Lexington Avenue bombing

References

External links

• Anarchist Black Cross Network
• Anarchist Black Cross Federation
• List of ABCs

Activist prisoners' resources

• Prison Activist Resource Center
• Justice Denied, The Magazine for the Wrongly Convicted
• Earth Liberation Prisoners
• The Jericho Movement
• Anti-"Drug War" Publication
• IWW General Defense Committee

Freenet link

• Anarchist Black Cross on Freenet