Black flags spell trouble.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Kind of a funny article from the conservative publication National Review, on the black flag of anarchy (and piracy, and radical Islam)

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/328534/black-flags-spell-trouble-charles-c-w-cooke

It's actually a suprisingly literate take on anarchism's cultural and political influence, considering the fact that it's "hostile media".

[bcbm]

i'd never heard of the black flag being used in the french revolution before, anyone know more about that?

[Zukunftsmusik]

i'd never heard of the black flag being used in the french revolution before, anyone know more about that?

The article seems to mix up one of the french revolutions with the Paris commune:


This secular black-flag tradition has a long — and bloody — heritage. During the French Revolution, the black pennant was the symbol of the Paris Commune, and it waved happily over such atrocities as the September Massacres, the Reign of Terror, and the Assault on the Tuileries. Such was its success that Louise Michel, the “French grande dame of anarchy,” resurrected it during the second Paris Commune of 1871. “Black,” she averred, “is the flag of strikes and the flag of those who are hungry.” She made no mention of violence, but then such types tend not to.

Lol at the last sentence, btw

[agnixie]

I know the red flag was use in 1848 (and that Lamartine did his best to bring back the flg of the bourgeois republic instead during his term in the executive commission) but for the black flag before the commune, I'm stomped.


She made no mention of violence, but then such types tend not to.
I'm pretty sure she just mentioned violence. But I guess bourgeois shills don't know that particular sort of violence. :rolleyes:

[Rugged Collectivist]

Since the 1990s, black flags have become associated in the Western mind with Muslim extremism

If by "west" he means Europe than maybe (I wouldn't know anything about that) but in the US this is definitely not the case, except maybe with those anti-Jihad weirdos.

[Crux]

Onward to the anarcho-islamist pirate revolution!

[bricolage]

The article seems to mix up one of the french revolutions with the Paris commune:
there were two paris communes, one in the initial french revolution and then one in 1871. to be honest with the french attraction to revolutionary symbolism during that period it wouldn't surprise me that a few more had been declared in the various uprisings in between.

in her defence at her trial of 1883 louise michel talks about using the black flag because the red one is 'nailed up in the cemeteries' (read: pere lachaise). as far as I know at least until 1871 almost everyone was using the red flag.

EDIT: I'm almost certain the 'flag of strikes and the flag of those who are hungry' quote is from the 1883 speech as well, so that article is completely wrong, she didn't resurrect it during the paris commune, but anything up to a decade later. I've never seen any evidence of anyone in 1871 fighting under anything than the red flag. I've no idea about the first paris commune but I'd imagine that's a lie too.

[Sasha]

If by "west" he means Europe than maybe (I wouldn't know anything about that) but in the US this is definitely not the case, except maybe with those anti-Jihad weirdos.


nah, same here, black flags is pirates and maybe anarchists but ask anyone outside eurasia conspiracy nuts to say what colour flag represents radical islam they probably go for red (turkey and marroco, our main muslim imigrants background) or green (because of the hamas flag that is sometimes seen on radical pro-palestine demo's)

[agnixie]

there were two paris communes, one in the initial french revolution and then one in 1871. to be honest with the french attraction to revolutionary symbolism during that period it wouldn't surprise me that a few more had been declared in the various uprisings in between.


The first commune mostly used the colors of Paris (blue and red) or the tricolor, though.

[bricolage]

The first commune mostly used the colors of Paris (blue and red) or the tricolor, though.
yeah, I think there were some instances of red flags though. obviously completely different to 1871 though.

[cynicles]

Lol at the last sentence, btw
Nothing like the consistent and principled commitment to non-violence that so many in the mainstream political world have shown for decades now. No double-standards here, no siree.

[Os Cangaceiros]

there were two paris communes, one in the initial french revolution and then one in 1871.

When I initially read the part about the "first Paris commune", I thought that was a mistake on the writer's part. But it's actually right. Huh.

I was mostly impressed with the fact that the Chinese "black flag army" was brought up...although I don't think that they actually had anything to do with anarchism, so it's weird that they're mentioned almost in the same breath...

[Domela Nieuwenhuis]

No, never even heard of the mentioning of "muslim" and "black flag" in one conversation, let alone in one sentence.

All i think of arrrr pirates. :confused: