The Angry Brigade 1967-1984: Documents and Chronology
Now available online at http://cornersoul.com/angrybrigade.html
From the introduction:
"The eight libertarian militants on trial in the Old Bailey in 1972 who were chosen by the British State to be the 'conspirators' of the Angry Brigade, found themselves facing not only the class enemy with all its instruments of repression, but also the obtusity and incomprehension--when not condemnation--of the organised left.
Described as 'mad', 'terrorists', 'adventurists', or at best authors of 'gestures of a worrying desperation', the Angry Brigade were condemned without any attempt to analyse their actions or to understand what they signified in the general context of the class struggle in course. The means used to justify this were simple: by defining the actions of the Angry Brigade as 'terrorist', and equating this with 'individualist', the movement organisations--whose tendency is to see the relationship between individual and mass as something in contrast--neatly excluded them from their concerns. Strangely enough this attitude was not limited to the broad left but was also prevalent within the anarchist movement, where still today there is a tendency to ignore the role of the individual within the mass, and the role of the specific group within the mass movement."
Thoughts?
The Angry Brigade
Well they weren't the worst of the insurrectionist groups at the time, compared to murderous lunatics like baider meinhoff the angry brigade were just a bit naive and foolish, and in fact they aren't villified in the same way that more violent and misanthropic groups were, afterall some of their actions, such as the vandalism committed against the south african embassy, were easy to sympathise with. Politically however i would still say they were individualist terrorists who the left should have distanced themselves from at all costs.
The Angry Brigade
I quite like them actually, and I could easily be tempted by their style of action* But yeah, it's gonna be said; they were a direct, risky protest group and in itself that was fine but it does nothing if not harm any attempt to make a real long-term campaign to abolish the very things they were against. So, ultimately self-defeating but then what d'you expect when you have no other method at hand?
PS. Love their communiques;
"We machine-gunned the Spanish Embassy last night in solidarity with our Basque brothers and sisters. We were careful not to hit the pigs guarding the building representatives of British capital and fascist Spain. If Britain co-operates with France over this "legal" lynching by shutting the truth away, we'll take more careful aim next time.
Love and Solidarity,
The Angry Brigade"
"We must ATTACK, we cannot delegate our desire to take the defensive. Sabotage is a reality...getting out of the factory is not the only way to strike...stay in and take over."
"Brothers and sisters, what are your real desires? Sit in the drugstore, look distant, empty, bored, drinking some tasteless coffee? Or perhaps BLOW IT UP OR BURN IT DOWN. The only thing you can do with modern slave houses -called boutiques- is WRECK THEM. You can't reform profit capitalism and inhumanity. Just kick it till it breaks."
*(not to be taken seriously monsieur plod)
The Angry Brigade
um yas, "militant" mass strikes for limited goals that everyone could see wasn't going to work?
Sure I believe they supported them...they were a reaction from the exact same milieu.
The Angry Brigade
Volin
A lot of them still have resonance now. Like this one:
the ugly sterility of urban life - http://urban75.net ;)
Rolls Royce - http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/08/321211.html
BEA - http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0508/heathrow1.html
Beyond the communiques I'm beginning to believe the most valuable legacy of the Angry Brigade, and others who involved themselves in the armed struggle at the time, is what can be learnt from their experiences and tactics. Given the speed at which this country, and many others, are moving towards martial law and the removal of all so-called democratic concessions to freedom of speech, movement, thought and assembly it seems wise to have an understanding of how underground resistance movements work.
The Angry Brigade
didnt it take the authorities a couple of days to actually realise the building had been 'machine gunned' or was that somehwere else? I'm sure the angry brigade had good intentions n all and they wrote very stylish communiques that sounded really threatening and grandiose but god damm were they naive, they were just playing at revolutionary guerillas, the stuff some of the members did with the claimants union beforehand was probably more productive if a little less sexy.
The Angry Brigade
Vaneigemappreciationclub
Todays black star, for class struggle history goes to VA, you're correct the bullet was found by a cleaner a few days after the attack.
The Angry Brigade
Yeah spot on VAC.
I think it's important to bear in mind that they were just playing around. I bet they're well embarrassed about their "communiques" now :D
The Angry Brigade
Without a movement such actions are pointless.
If you're engaged in underground activities then you can't be involved in accountable movement building activities. Therefore what do we need to do? ...
Your perspective is just a fetishistic attitude towards violence. When you've seen blood pouring from the lifeless corpse of someone you spoke to just moments before, when you witnessed your comrades interned, tortured, broken and isolated from the rest of the world you won't be quite so clearcut about your judgement to break out the sten guns. Nobody who has been involved in armed struggle for any length of time, that I've met (and I've met a number), has ever found anything romantic in it.
For a mass movement before a military struggle,
Solidarity,
Nick Durie
The Angry Brigade
Nick Durie
That certainly seems to be the conclusion those once involved have reached. Not just the AB. However the point I was making is that the liberal democratic facade of the state is being stripped away at an alarming rate. There is no mass movement to defend any concessions previously won. Here and there there's the occasional wildcat, the occasional short strike by posties or railworkers, but there is no mass movement of the working class in this country. Working class culture has been recuperated, watered down and sold back to us as historyand museums. If you're looking for a mass movement the only one around is consumerism. I know that sounds defeatist but I fear it's true.
You're right to ask the question: what do we need to do?
Is it possible to resurrect a mass movement when everyone's too busy shopping to care? Too busy getting by to get together and too frightened by media stories of terrorists to even think beyond the current nightmare.
We're living in a climate of manufactured fear where the only answer that's being presented is to trust the State, trust the State to protect us, protect us by removing what little concessions to freedom have been won.
Without a mass movement where does that leave people who see through the sham? Do they allow the State to remove the relative freedoms of speech, thought and assembly hoping the mass of people will come to their senses eventually and see through the contradictions, or will there come a point when a small group of people think fuck this, enough is enough.
I don't know what the answer is Nick. So I figure it's wise to analyse all forms of struggle, including armed struggle. That's not fetishing or romanticising violence it's being practical. It's the State that has a monopoly on violence and a mass media to fetishise and romanticise it when it suits them.
The Angry Brigade
That is the situation in which individual acts of violence (or at least acts by small and isolated groups) have been resorted to in the past. They have always soundly failed to generate any kind of mass movement in the past though, and I can't see any reason why they would do so now.
The Angry Brigade
Yozzee wrote:
The only point in analyzing them is to realise that they can change nothing. Armed struggle by a few against the might of the state? It's hardly a recipe for social change, is it?
As I recall, the only person injuured by the Angry Brigade was a cleaner. Says it all really, doesn't it.
The following link mis to the Australian anarchist pamphlet, You Can't Blow Up a Social Relationship:
http://www.af-north.org/social_relationship.html
The Angry Brigade
Unlike certain latter-day insurrectionists, the AB didn't really see themselves as creating trhough their actions a mass movement, they saw themselves as the armed, anti-authoritarian wing of a movement that was already mass and taking militant action against war, fighting for control of workplaces etc. Probably modeled themselves more on the Barcelona 1920-30s pistoleros more than on Che
The Angry Brigade
Whatever they saw themselves as, believe me, nobody at the time saw them in that way! Basically they were a bunch of tossers letting off explosives. They achieved nothing. Given that there was plenty of real class struggle going on, then they'd have been better getting their hands dirty with that, rather than living their little wank fantasies of guerilla warfare.
What fucking relevance did they have to a class fighting shipyard closures, welfare cuts and housing? None whatsoever.
The Angry Brigade
hey knightrose, it seems weird to divorce this kind of action from its context. militant actions exist in relationship with non-militant actions - earthfirst!'s relationship to mainstream environmental groups, for example.
have people here read Churchill's Pacifism as Pathology?
any thoughts on it?
The Angry Brigade
I'm not a pacifist.
Dot said:
It was the Angry Brigade who divorced their actions from the context. There was no need then, or now, for armed struggle groups. Unless, of course, you are into the kind of authoriatian politics which says, "follow me, or we blow you up". Remember, as I said, the only person injured was working class!
Equally, I've never heard of EF! actions involving machine gunning emabassies or letting off bombs. The nature of those actions is that they empower people by showing what collective action can do. That is the opposite to terrorism which says it's all down to the actions of an elite.
The AB lived in a sick fantasy world.
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
Would you support armed struggle as an organic part of another dispute, e.g. attacks on scab vans, etc.?
The Angry Brigade
Lazlo asked:
That would be a question of tactics, depending on what was best under the circumstances. The point about the AB was that they weren't an organic part of a dispute or struggle, just a bunch of isolated losers.
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
Sounds a bit personal. Did you know them/know someone who got raided because of the AB?
The Angry Brigade
No, didn't know any of them. I just despise their politics. I see it as little different from any leninist faction. We know best. Follow us.
When they were busy letting off bombs I was about 17 and just getting interested in politics. I actually thought they were quite romantic at the time.
The Angry Brigade
[quote="knightroseI see it as little different from any leninist faction. We know best. Follow us.[/quote]
Did they aske for followers? I thought they were fairly down the line prop of the deed/autonomus?
The Angry Brigade
That kind of politics wasn't needed then. There was plenty of real class struggle taking place.
At best they were foolish. I just think they got caught up in fantasies of being like the RAF and the Weathermen.
It worries me that some people are treating them seriously.
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
I don't take them seriously, but if they were autonomist in their politics then it's simply wrong to lump them in with Leninist guerillas who want to be a leadership.
The Angry Brigade
Why is it wrong to lump them with Leninists? I judge people by the results of their actions, not what they say.
Terrorists aresecretive, elitist (because they think they know best), they never act after refrring to others, they think they are stting others an example to follow.
Don't see much difference myself?
The Angry Brigade
In that case all direct action that isn't openly organised is elitist and 'Leninist', regardless of whether it's armed or not. You know you're falling in with Linsey German on this one?
The Angry Brigade
I dunno who Linsey German is.
I think there is a difference between "armed" groups and the likes of EF! doing actions. When we did EF! actions, we assumed others would get involved. We maybe couldn't involve them in the planning stage, but we were hoping to attract attention and practical support and looking to make the network of activists wider.
I'm mostly having a go at the "substitutionist" activities of terrorists - you know, the ones who they that they can substitute themselves for the working class. That is something they share with Leninists.
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
This seems to be guerillaism without the guns. Not that I'm against this, of course. Unless you can show where the AB thought they could do without mass class action, I don't see how this differs from their actions, apart from the guns.
Lynsey german is the supremo of the STWC, who denounced people doing direct action training as 'elitist'. as everybody couldn't participate in this.
The Angry Brigade
Laz said:
Well, nothing we did as EF!here relied on people not being around. The AB certainly did. And we never blew up a cleaner!
Laz, this is going round in circles.....
Let's put it simply. I'm against letting off bombs and going on shooting sprees. It's really that easy.
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
EF! trashing GM crops/sabotaging JCBs certainly depended on people not being around. This seems to be an issue about weapons used, rahter than mode of political organisation.
But I'll drop it if you think it's going nowhere. 8)
The Angry Brigade
knightrose
This is the exact kind of hostility that's pointed out in the introduction. I can understand where you are coming from but the reality doesn't bear out what you are saying. The AB actions were very specific. They targetted members of the ruling class when they were in direct conflict with the working class. So you get the bombing of Robert Carr's house when he was behind the Industrial Relations Bill, the bombing of William Batty during a strike at Ford, the bombing of John Davies during the Clyde shipbuilders dispute, Bryant during a strike at one of his building companies. They weren't random attacks, they were in unison with workplace struggles as they happened.
I think it's a shame that even now 30 years later any attempt to examine what was really happening as opposed to what was reported in the mainstream media is met with hostility and the mainstream media POV trotted out as actual fact.
I'm aware that parts of the booklet on cornersoul are pretty much unreadable. I'm rescanning it. Should be a better version online soon
The Angry Brigade
revol68
Hmmm apart from J2M* who used to rob banks and give out chocolates to customers while they did so, telling them it wasn't their cash they were nicking.
*J2M - June the 2nd Movement, German libertarian urban guerrilla group.
The Angry Brigade
revol68
Would you say the same about Berkman and Goldman's shooting of Frick?
The Angry Brigade
Lazlo_Woodbine
That was just about the lamest thing ever, especially as the Homestead strike was so cool
http://libcom.org/history/articles/homestead-strike-1892 :rb:
The Angry Brigade
lol, so at least that's consistent. In that case, since Goldman and Berkely went on to do good stuff, we shouldn't write off AB people just because they also did some lame-o adventures as well.
The Angry Brigade
you should never write people off. They change. So does their politics and what they do.
You can still write off what they did as the AB, though.
The Angry Brigade
Easy now!
I've only scanned the thread, it is 6.30am!, but some of the critique seems a bit harsh, with the actions of AB seemingly taken slightly out of historical context.
The AB were quintissentially of their time: - that is to say they formed part of a discourse that was largely leftist which emerged throughout the West in response to the ongoing and ongrowing imperialism and proxy wars of the States in the then 'Third World'. The Cold War and the ideological dichotomy which it enforced on a geo-political level informed several groups on the left and not so left - RAF, BMG, Weather Underground, Actione Direct etc, some of whom were blatantly elitist, yes, but not all. Lets not let our hindsight turn into revisionism though! The AB made mistakes, yes - lets face it, with the profile that the IRA enjoyed at the time it would have been pretty amazing if they had got away with it.
I think today that perhaps most people would not advocate armed struggle in the stylee of the 70's, but as someone noted previously the tactics of the ALF/ELF nowadays are not so different. In fact the main one seems to be a reliance on the use of incendiary devices rather than explosive devices- the same chemical process, only one is faster than the other.
If people decide that the only way that they can personally respond to the Totality on an individual level (sorry about tautology) is to go out and burn the fucker down, then fair fukkin play to them. To say that they can't or shouldn't because their actions do not represent the consensus of some arbitrarily defined social and economic class could be classed as elitist in itself-who said that you could dish out the roles?, not to mention smacking of utilitarianism (pantechnicon anybody??)
peace
chimp23
The Angry Brigade
greets
couple of points - do read stuart christie's autobiography if you want to get a better idea of the context of the AB (and no i'm not saying he knew anythng about it all.)
also there were a lot other actions that were claimed by the AB (petrol bombing army recruiting offices etc) which weren't so spectacular but part of on-going struggles.
i'd agree about criticisms about "substitutionism" and the recuperation of such actions ("guerrilla war struggle is the new entertainment" and all that. but at the time they did one's spirits a tad.)
on a more serious point - can someone tell us when the governments law on gloryfying / justfying terrorism (ie the use of violence by non-state sanctioned forces) comes into force ? i can see it being used to shut down websites such as this.
mal
The Angry Brigade
OK, if response to the criticism of my harshness about the AB, I'll moderate my line. They were in fact simply completely and utterly irrelevant to the enormous wave of real class struggle going on at the time. A fair assessment, I think.
this has been an interesting
this has been an interesting debate. I think the most important thing to know would be what the working class thought of the AB, especially the thoughts of those striking workers that the AB tied to support (im not judging here-the point is that the AB believed their actions were supportive) through bombing the management offices etc
Also, is there already a thread anywhere where people have been discussing at what point during the class struggle that they believe armed insurrection should arise? Personally, at the moment, i think that those of us that are aiming for revolution have to be aware and mature enough not to engage in premature armed action, and dedicate ourselves to building a mass movement that is fundamentally anti-state and pro-federated self management. When the mass movement has reached that point of confidence to finally want to defend itself and hit back against the state, then this is the time for insurrection.
So obviously everything will go smoothly then :p
A mildly funny story from
A mildly funny story from the committal proceedings of the Stoke Newington 8 at Elephant & Castle: the prosecutor was reading out the AB's communique no.1: "Fascism & oppression will be smashed, Embassies (Spanish Embassy machine gunned Thursday), High Pigs, Spectacles, Judges, Property" (you can imagine what that sounded like read out in his best posh BBC accent) and when he mentioned the word "spectacles", he deliberately took off his glasses and started to polish them - the clear implication being that these mad bombers were about to go around smashing people's glasses. Incidentally, I think this communique no.1 was one of the reasons they got caught. Sergeant Cremer, the main Special Branch cop reponsible for looking into them, was very curious when he read the word "spectacles", and started to look into the situ-influenced milieu. He was known for having gone to Agit-Prop bookshop (later 'Rising Free') and asking the guy looking after it "But why have you put the "situationist" texts on the same shelf as the Solidarity ones?"
Just realise that the above
Just realise that the above is not really appropriate for this thread, but should have probably gone in the thread on the ABs in the history section. Obviously not important, particularly as this thread has only been revived from its 4 year sleep, I suspect surreptitiously fishing for something for his dissertation .
Well, as far as I know, there wasn't when you asked it, but there is now - my one on Greece discusses this a bit:
http://libcom.org/forums/news/greece-reflections-some-contradictions-movement-there-10012010
Just posted on the net for
Just posted on the net for the first time, a snotty - but well written - article on the Angry Brigade from the January 1973 issue of the Socialist Standard:
Link: What We Say About The Angry Brigade Trial
imposs1904 wrote: Just posted
imposs1904
I'm not a supporter of the tactics of the Angry Brigade but that article is absolutely awful, and seems like the author was a complete arsehole. Stuff like that is the reason so many people have issues with the SPGB
I totally agree. Now is the
I totally agree. Now is the time for genuine radicals in the SPGB to think very profoundly about their involvement in this organisation.
If I remember reading rightly
If I remember reading rightly the author spent the sixties in anarchist circles, so maybe he was carrying some baggage but I don't think he was an arsehole.
Sorry, no excuses for Bob
Sorry, no excuses for Bob Barlltop's shite.
Battlescarred wrote: I
Battlescarred
well, I wouldn't say that exactly. Maybe 1973 would have been a better time! Think the article is appalling but the don't think it necessarily reflects poorly upon current members, with the exception of the person who just reposted it with favourable commentary…
"with the exception of the
"with the exception of the person who just reposted it with favourable commentary…"
I'm suitably crushed.
Only his friends were allowed
Only his friends were allowed to call him Bob.
imposs1904 wrote: "with the
imposs1904
Save it for Urban75, Petey.
Save it for Urban75, Petey.
Barltrop did indeed move in
Barltrop did indeed move in anarchist circles in the 1960s and I attended a meeting given by him in Brighton. Hardly any excuse for that abysmal article though.
While being sceptical on
While being sceptical on Armed guerilla tactics I found the Angry Brigade inspiring and there agitprop eloquent and succinct.They could have killed agents of the State and Ministers but were careful not to and the participants and their coaccused were excellent militants such as Jake Prescott,John Barker,Vince Stevenson etc.
That said there is no substitute for mass participation and strong community activism but they deserve respect and credit nevertheless.
imposs1904 wrote: Save it for
imposs1904
I'm suitably chastened.
as to the merits, we never had a group like this in the states and i agree with freemind's position.
Its been awhile since I've
Its been awhile since I've read anything AB related but this article seems to have overlooked quite a bit to fit its narrative. Stuff like this
Is pretty daft since a really big part of the whole non lethal urban guerrilla thing they and groups like the First of May did wasn't just agitprop, it was supposed to intimidate officials into backing down. That was why the AB targeted the minister who drew up Trade and Industry bills.
It also compares the group, that went out of its way to ensure no one was killed to the Vietnam war. Indeed that's the crux of his argument and why its so poor, he keeps going on about violence but he's supposed to be covering a group who injured one person by accident.
Like what exactly is good about this article? I've noticed Imposs has been pasting this on everything vaguely related to the AB they can find but they haven't bothered detailing its supposed strengths.