HISTORY OF ANARCHIST SYMBOLS

PRINCIPLES, PROPOSITIONS & DISCUSSIONS FOR LAND & FREEDOM

An introductory word to the anarchive Anarchy is Order! I must Create a System or be enslavd by another Mans. I will not Reason & Compare: my business is to Create (William Blake) During the 19th century, anarchi m ha devello!ed a a re ult o" a ocial current which aim "or "reedom and ha!!ine # A num$er o" "actor ince World War % have made thi movement, and it idea , di a!ear little $y little under the du t o" hi tory# A"ter the cla ical anarchi m & o" which the '!ani h (evolution wa one o" the la t re!re entative &a new kind o" re i tance wa "ounded in the i)tie which claimed to $e $a ed (at lea t !artly) on thi anarchi m# *owever thi re i tance i o"ten limited to a "ew (and even then !artly mi under tood) logan uch a Anarchy i order, +ro!erty i the"t,### %n"ormation a$out anarchi m i o"ten hard to come $y, mono!oli ed and intellectual, and there"ore vi i$ly di a!earing#-he anarchive or anarchi t archive Anarchy i .rder ( in hort A.O) i an attem!t to make the principles, propositions and discussions o" thi tradition availa$le again "or anyone it concern # We $elieve that the e te)t are !art o" our own heritage# -hey dont $elong to !u$li her , in titute or !eciali t # -he e te)t thu have to $e availa$le "or all anarchi t an other !eo!le intere ted# -hat i one o" the condition to give anarchi m a new im!ul e, to let the new anarchi m outgrow the logan # -hi i what make thi /

!ro0ect relevant "or u 1 we mu t "ind our root to $e a$le to renew our elve # We have to learn "rom the mi take o" our ociali t !a t# *i tory ha hown that a large num$er o" the anarchi t idea remain tanding, even during the mo t recent ocial2economic develo!ment # Anarchy Is Order does not make profits, everything is spread at the price of printing and papercosts. !his of course creates some limitations for these archives. "veryone is invited to spread along the information #e give . !his can $e done $y copying our leaflets, printing from the %& that is availa$le or copying it, e mailing the te'ts ,...(ecome your o#n anarchive!!! (Be aware though o" co!yright re triction # We al o want to make ure that the anarchi t or non2commercial !rinter , !u$li her and autor are not $eing harmed# .ur !riority on the other hand remain to !read the idea , not the owner hi! o" them#) -he anarchive o""er the e te)t ho!ing that value like freedom, solidarity and direct action get a new meaning and will $e lived again, o that the truggle continue again t the demons of flesh and blood, that sway s epters down here! and the dirty mi robes that send us dar" diseases and wish to s#uash us li"e horseflies! and the will$o$the$wisp of the saddest i%noran e. (32+# Boon) -he re t de!end a much on you a it de!end on u # Dont mourn, .rgani e4 5

6omment , 7ue tion , critici m,coo!eration can $e end to A.O)advalvas.$e A com!lete li t and u!date are availa$le on thi addre , new te)t are alway #elcome!!

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Anarchi t have u ed ym$oli m in their revolt again t the 'tate and 6a!ital, not only the $lack "lag, $ut al o the circle2A# 6ircle2A are !ray2!ainted on wall and under $ridge all over the world, !unk di !lay them on their 0acket and crawl them into hal"2dried cement# Black "lag have recently $een re urrected in (u ia and continue to "ly in mo t !art o" the world# -here are am!le account o" the u e o" $lack "lag $y Anarchi t # +ro$a$ly the mo t "amou , wa 9e tor :akhno !arti an during the (u ia (evolution# ;nder the $lack $anner, hi army routed a do<en armie and ke!t a large !ortion o" the ;kraine "ree "rom concentrated !ower "or a good cou!le year # :ore recently, +ari ian tudent carried $lack (and red) "lag during the ma ive =eneral 'trike o" 19>?# But the Anarchi t $lack "lag originated much earlier than thi # -he "ir t account i actually unknown# %t eem that thi credit i re erved "or 3oui e :ichel, "amou !artici!ant in the +ari 6ommune o" 1?@1# According to Anarchi t hi torian =eorge Woodcock, :ichel "lew the $lack "lagon :arch 9, 1??/, during demon tration o" the unem!loyed in +ari , Arance# With 8BB trong, :ichel at the lead and houting CBread, work, or lead4D, they !illaged three $aker ho! $e"ore $eing arre ted $y the !olice (Woodcock, !!#2?522?8)# 9o >

earlier re!ort can $e "ound o" Anarchi t and the $lack "lag# 9ot long a"ter, the $lack ym$ol made it way to America# +aul Avrich re!ort that on 9ovem$er 2@, 1??5, the $lack "lag wa di !layed in 6hicago at an Anarchi t demon tration# According to Avrich, Augu t '!ie , one o" the "amou *aymarket martyr , Cnoted that thi wa the "ir t occa ion on which Ethe $lack "lagF had $een un"urled on American oilD (Avrich, -he *aymarket -ragedy, !!#1552158)# .n a more dreary note, Ae$ruary 1/, 1921 wa the date that marked the end o" $lack "lag in 'oviet (u ia# .n that day, +eter Gro!otkin "uneral took !lace in :o cow# :a e o" !eo!le who e march tretched "or mile , carried $lack $anner that read, CWhere there i authority there i no "reedomD (Avrich, -he Anarchi t in the (u ian (evolution, !#2>)# %t eem that $lack "lag didnt a!!ear in (u ia until the "ounding o" the 6hernoc Hhania (C$lack $annerD) movement in 19B8# .nly two week a"ter Gro!otkin "uneral march, the Gron tadt re$ellion $roke out and anarchi m wa era ed "rom 'oviet (u ia "or good# While the event a$ove are "airly well known, a ha $een related, the e)act origin o" the $lack "lag i not# What i known i that a large num$er o" Anarchi t grou! in the early 1??B ado!ted title a ociated with *ack# %n Iuly o" 1??1, the Black %nternational met in 3ondon# -hi wa an attem!t to reorgani<e the Anarchi t wing o" recently di olved Air t %nternational# 'imilarly, there wa the Black Band in Arance (1??2) and the :ano 9egra (Black *and) Andalu ia, '!ain (1??/)# -he e date are immediately "ollowed $y :ichel demon tration (1??/) and the $lack "lag in 6hicago (1??5)# @

Aurther olidi"ying thi !eriod (circa early 1 ??B ) a the $irth o" the ym$ol i the name o" a hort lived Arench Anarchi t !u$lication1 C3e Dra!eau 9oirD (-he Black Alag)# According to (oderick Gedward, thi Anarchi t !a!er e)i ted "or a "ew year dating ometime $e"ore .cto$er 1??2, when a $om$ wa thrown into a ca"e in 3yon (Gedward, !#/8)# Backing u! thi theory, Avrich tate that in 1??5, the $lack "lag Cwa the new anarchi t em$lemD (Avrich, -he *aymarket -ragedy, !# 155)# %n agreement, :urray Bookchin re!ort that Cin later year the Anarchi t were to ado!t the $lack "lagD when !eaking o" the '!ani h Anarchi t movement in Iune, 1?@B (Bookchin, !# 81n1)# At that time, Anarchi t widely u ed the red "lag# %t a!!ear o$viou (though not conclu ive) that thi i the !eriod that the $lack "lag $onded with Anarchi m# W*J -*K 6.3.( B3A6GL %t eem that "iguring out when the connection wa made i ea ier than "inding out why, e)actly, $lack wa cho en# -he 6hicago CAlarmD, which i right "rom the hor e mouth, tated that the $lack "lag i Cthe "ear"ul ym$ol o" hunger# mi ery and deathD (Avrich, -he *aymarket -ragedy, !#155)# Bookchin a ert that the $lack "lag i the C ym$ol o" the worker mi ery and a an e)!re ion o" their anger and $itterne #D (Bookchin, !# 81n1)# Along the e line , Al$ert :elt<er maintain that the a ociation $etween the $lack "lag and working cla revolt Coriginated in (heim EAranceF in 1?/1 (CWork or DeathD) in an unem!loyed demon tration (:elt<er, !#59)# %n "act he goe on to a ert that it wa :ichel action in 1??/ that olidi"ied the a ociation# *i torically $lack ha $een a ociated with $lood M dried $lood !eci"ically M like ?

the red "lag# -he color $lack wa originally ado!ted a a ym$ol o" all the !eo!le murdered $y the ca!itali t while "ighting "or their "reedom# -o thi 7ue tion o" the $lack "lag, *oward Khrlich ha a great !a age in hi $ook (einventing Anarchy, Again1 CWhy i our "lag $lackL Black i a hade o" negation# -he $lack "lag i the negation o" all "lag # %t i a negation o" nationhood which !ut the human race again t it el" and denie the unity o" all humankind# Black i a mood o" anger and outr age at all the hideou crime again t humanity !er!etrated in the name o" allegiance to one tate or another# %t i anger and outrage at the in ult to human intelligence im!lied in the !reten e , hy!ocri ie , and chea! chicanerie o" government # CBlack i al o a color o" mourning, the $lack "lag which cancel out the nation al o mourn it victim the countle million murdered in war , e)ternal and internal, to the greater glory and ta$ility o" ome $loody tate# %t mourn "or tho e who e la$or i ro$$ed (ta)ed) to !ay "or the laughter and o!!re ion o" other human $eing # %t mourn not only the death o" the $ody $ut the cri!!ling o" the !irit under authoritarian and hierarchic y tem , it mourn the million o" $rain cell $lacked out with never a chance to light u! the world# %t i a color o" incon ola$le grie"# CBut $lack i al o $eauti"ul# %t i a color o" determination, o" re olve, o" trength, a color $y which all other are clari"ied and de"ined# Black i the my teriou urrounding o" germination, o" "ertility the $reeding ground o" new li"e which alway evolve , renew , re"re he and re!roduce it el" in darkne -he eed hidden in the earth, the trange

0ourney o" the !erm, the ecret growth o" the em$ryo in the wom$ all the e the $lackne urround and !rotect # -*K B3A6G N (KD A3A= Black and red are the color o" the Anarchi t la$or movement known a Anarcho yndicali m# -he red ym$oli<ing 'yndicali m (revolutionary unioni m $a ed on the idea o" Direct Action) wa 0oined with the $lack ym$oli<ing Anarchi m# Black and red $anner "ir t a!!eared in di""erent con"iguration around the turn o" the century# A "lag divided diagonally with a red and $lack triangle wa !o!ular in '!ain in the 1 9/B and i till in u e $y the Anarchi t la$or movement today# -*K 6%(63K2A Kven harder to track down i the origination o" the circle2A a an anarchi t ym$ol# :any think that it tarted in the 19@B !unk movement, $ut it goe $ack to a much earlier !eriod# .n 9ov em$er 28, 198>, at it "oundation in Bru el , the Alliance .uvriOre Anarchi te (A.A) ado!ted thi ym$ol# =oing even "urther, a BB6 documentary on the '!ani h 6ivil War how an anarchi t militia mem$er with a Ccircle2AD clearly on the $ack o" hi helmet# .ther than thi , there i little known a$out the circle2A origin#

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'ource 1 +aul Avrich, -heAnarchi t in the (u ian (evolution, 6ornell ;niver ity +re , 19@/ +aul Avrich, -he *aymarket -ragedy, +rinceton ;niver ity +re , 19?5# :urray Bookchin, -he '!ani h Anarchi t 1 -he *eroic Jear 1/>?21 9/>, *ar!er 6olo!hon Book , 19@@# (oderick Gedward, -he Anarchi t 1 -he :en who 'hocked an Kra, American *eritage +re , 19@1# Al$ert :elt<er, -he Anarcho2Pui< Book, Black Alag (organ o" the Anarchi t Black 6ro ), 19@># =eorge Woodcock, Anarchi m1 A *i tory o" 3i$ertarian %dea and :ovement , +enguin Book , 19>/#

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