Anarchist Black Cross

The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) is an international network of anarchist prisoner-support organizations. Its work centers on assisting people imprisoned or prosecuted for political activity, especially anarchists, anti-authoritarian activists, and people accused of illegal acts carried out in support of revolutionary objectives. Support may include legal assistance, fundraising, food and basic supplies, prison correspondence, political literature, public advocacy, and practical help for prisoners' families. The movement originated in the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century under the name Anarchist Red Cross. It emerged from prisoner-aid efforts associated with the broader Political Red Cross, which assisted socialists and other opponents of the monarchy. After Social Democratic organizations increasingly restricted support according to political affiliation, anarchists established a separate organization intended to assist social revolutionaries more broadly. By 1907, the Anarchist Red Cross had developed activity in Russia, elsewhere in Europe, and the United States, including among Russian exiles who continued supporting imprisoned dissidents from abroad. The network's role changed as political conditions changed. The fall of the Russian Empire and the release of many political prisoners temporarily reduced the need for the organization, but anarchist prisoner support re-emerged after the Bolshevik government began repressing anarchists and other dissidents. During the Ukrainian War of Independence, Nestor Makhno organized Black Cross chapters as an adjunct to the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. Following the 1919 Bolshevik crackdown on anarchists, prisoner-aid groups were re-established in cities including Moscow, Kharkiv, and Odesa, where they attempted to deliver food and other necessities despite confiscation and official obstruction. Black Cross organizations later supported anarchists and anti-authoritarian prisoners during the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, and the Francoist period in Spain. A significant modern revival began in Britain in 1967 after Stuart Christie returned from imprisonment in Spain. Christie and Albert Meltzer rebuilt the organization around assistance to Spanish anarchist and resistance prisoners. The British group became associated with the periodical Black Flag and other publications, combining prisoner advocacy with a revolutionary class-conflict perspective. In the United States, local groups expanded in response to repression of radical movements in the 1960s and to prosecutions connected with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's COINTELPRO operations. Several American chapters joined in 1995 to form the Anarchist Black Cross Federation, while the Anarchist Black Cross Network was established in 2001 as a looser parallel structure focused more broadly on prison issues. ABC activists have also participated in campaigns connected with prisoners such as Mumia Abu-Jamal. The network does not operate like a conventional commercial brand or centralized corporation. Chapters and federations generally retain substantial autonomy, and names such as Anarchist Black Cross Federation, Anarchist Black Cross Network, and country-specific groups refer to related but not necessarily identical structures. Its public identity is defined by political prisoner support, mutual aid, and opposition to state imprisonment rather than by consumer products or commercial services. In Belarus, an ABC section founded in 2009 reported supporting dozens of activists through legal expenses and family assistance. Russian authorities designated the Anarchist Black Cross Federation an undesirable organization in early 2024, reflecting the continuing political and legal risks surrounding the network's activities.

The Anarchist Black Cross developed from anarchist prisoner-aid efforts in the Russian Empire during the early twentieth century. Political opponents of the monarchy, including anarchists and socialists, faced imprisonment, exile, and execution. Various groups initially worked through the Political Red Cross, but disagreements over ideological eligibility led anarchists to establish the Anarchist Red Cross. Its purpose was to provide support to social revolutionaries without limiting aid to a particular party or tendency. By 1907, the organization had spread across Russia and into Europe and the United States, aided in part by Russian political exiles. The collapse of the Russian Empire and the release of many political prisoners reduced the immediate need for the organization. That respite was short-lived. After the Bolsheviks consolidated power and began repressing anarchists, prisoner-aid efforts were rebuilt. In 1918, Nestor Makhno organized Anarchist Black Cross chapters in territories controlled by the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. Following the bombing of a Bolshevik Party meeting in Moscow in September 1919, the authorities used the incident as a pretext for mass arrests of anarchists. New Black Cross groups and related prisoner-support societies appeared in Moscow, Kharkiv, Odesa, and other cities to provide food and assistance to anarchists and other left-wing dissidents. Deliveries were difficult because supplies were frequently confiscated by Bolshevik forces. The movement eventually adopted the name Anarchist Black Cross rather than Anarchist Red Cross, avoiding confusion with the International Red Cross. Black Cross groups continued prisoner-support work connected with the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, and repression under Francisco Franco. Their activities included fundraising, correspondence, distribution of political literature, and support for prisoners' relatives. A major revival occurred in Britain in 1967, when Stuart Christie returned from a Spanish prison and worked with Albert Meltzer to rebuild an organization supporting anarchist and resistance prisoners in Francoist Spain. Christie had experienced the importance of receiving food parcels while imprisoned. One early achievement was helping Miguel García García leave Spain after his release. The British organization developed an international role and became associated with Black Flag, a publication that promoted revolutionary class-conflict anarchism, as well as other bulletins and pamphlets. The group remained active through at least the late 1990s. In the United States, ABC chapters expanded amid the repression of radical activists after the 1960s counterculture. Activists linked this period to arrests and entrapment associated with the FBI's COINTELPRO program. In 1995, several American chapters united as the Anarchist Black Cross Federation. A separate Anarchist Black Cross Network emerged in 2001 with looser membership requirements and a broader focus on prison issues. ABC activists also contributed to campaigns supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal and other imprisoned political figures. The contemporary movement consists of autonomous local, national, and federated organizations rather than a single centralized institution. Its practical work includes letter-writing events, fundraising, prison supply deliveries, legal assistance, family support, public demonstrations, and advocacy for clemency or improved prison conditions. A Belarusian section formed in 2009 and reported assisting more than 70 activists through 2022. Its position on the war in Ukraine led to controversy and exclusion from a Berlin anarchist book fair. In early 2024, Russian authorities designated the Anarchist Black Cross Federation an undesirable organization. The designation illustrates the continuing conflict between ABC's prisoner-support activity and state authorities, while also making the status and structure of individual affiliated groups difficult to assess from public sources.

• 2024

  Russian undesirable-organization designation

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  Russian authorities designated the Anarchist Black Cross Federation an undesirable organization.

• 2009

  Belarusian section founded

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  An ABC section was established in Belarus and later reported providing legal and family support to repressed activists.

• 2001

  Anarchist Black Cross Network established

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  A parallel, more loosely structured network was formed with a broader focus on prison issues.

• 1995

  Anarchist Black Cross Federation formed

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  Several American chapters merged into the Anarchist Black Cross Federation to coordinate prisoner-support work.

• 1967

  British Anarchist Black Cross re-formed

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  Stuart Christie and Albert Meltzer revived the organization in Britain to assist anarchist and resistance prisoners in Francoist Spain.

• 1919

  Prisoner aid rebuilt after Bolshevik repression

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  Mass arrests of anarchists after a Moscow bombing prompted the re-formation of Black Cross and related support groups in several Russian and Ukrainian cities.

• 1918

  Chapters organized in Makhnovist Ukraine

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  Nestor Makhno organized Anarchist Black Cross chapters as an auxiliary to the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

• 1907

  International expansion of the Anarchist Red Cross

  [1]Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org

  The anarchist prisoner-aid movement had expanded beyond the Russian Empire into Europe and the United States, including through exile communities.

A decentralized anarchist mutual-aid and prisoner-support network that explicitly assists political prisoners and class-struggle prisoners, including some people whom mainstream prisoner-of-conscience organizations may not support because of alleged or admitted political violence.

• Mutual aid and advocacy

  Prisoner support

  The network's principal offering is direct assistance to political prisoners and people prosecuted for revolutionary or anarchist activity. Depending on the local chapter, this can include money for legal fees, food and postage, writing materials, prison correspondence, literature, public advocacy, and support for relatives.

• Publication · 1970

  Black Flag

  Black Flag is a publication associated particularly with the British Anarchist Black Cross. It has carried prisoner-support material and writing rooted in revolutionary class-conflict anarchism, helping connect political advocacy, movement debate, and fundraising.

• Campaign and advocacy service

  Solidarity campaigns

  ABC groups organize letter-writing nights, demonstrations, fundraising events, campaigns for clemency, and solidarity actions connected with hunger strikes. These activities aim to reduce prisoners' isolation and draw attention to legal and prison conditions.

• 2009Support for repressed activists in Belarus

  Belarus

  ABC Belarus provided legal-fee assistance and support for families of activists facing repression. It reported assisting more than 70 activists between 2009 and 2022.

  Outcome. The section remained active through the period covered by the cited account, although its later operating conditions are uncertain.

  Source
• 1967Support for Spanish anarchist and resistance prisoners

  United Kingdom · Spain

  The revived British organization focused on material and political support for prisoners held by the Francoist state, including assistance connected with Stuart Christie and Miguel García García.

  Outcome. The campaign established the modern British ABC's international prisoner-support role.

  Source
• Mumia Abu-Jamal support campaign

  United States · International

  Anarchist activists contributed to efforts seeking freedom or improved treatment for Mumia Abu-Jamal, the imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther.

  Source

• 2022

  ABC Belarus adopts an anti-war and armed-resistance positionStrategy

  Background

  Russia's invasion of Ukraine created a dispute over whether anarchists should support armed units operating within Ukraine.

  Action taken

  ABC Belarus described participation in armed anarchist units in Ukraine, support for anti-war activity in Russia and Belarus, and opposition to nationalist and imperialist divisions as effective anti-war activity.

  Aftermath

  The position contributed to ABC Belarus being excluded from an anarchist book fair in Berlin.

  • Berlin anarchist book fair organizers — The organizers said that providing space to positions calling for joining a state army would be unacceptable at an anarchist fair.

  Source

• Shift from international prisoner aid toward local political issuesStrategy

  Background

  During the 1970s, Black Cross activity in some countries moved away from a primarily international aid model toward local political and prison issues.

  Action taken

  Chapters increasingly organized around domestic repression, local prisoners, and movement-based campaigns.

  Aftermath

  The movement developed a more decentralized and varied organizational profile.

  Source

1. 1Anarchist Black Crossen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Anarchist Black Cross Federationabcf.net