Title: Cell of One: B.S. Johnson, Christie Malry and the Angry Brigade
Abstract: The 'Angry Brigade' was a name adopted by a group of British terrorists who undertook a campaign of sabotage, bombing, shooting and other violent acts against British state property between 1968 and 1972. The height of their infamy coincided with the trial of the 'Stoke Newington Eight', of which four were found guilty of conspiracy and given ten-year sentences. In his book, The Angry Brigade, Gordon Carr describes the history of this group — 'Britain's first urban guerrillas'. Described variously as 'anarchist', 'situationist' and 'libertarian communist', the essence of the Angry Brigade was of a set of principles rather than a formal group. Even police commander Ernest Bond spoke of how he regarded the Angry Brigade 'as an idea that anyone can join' (Carr 2010: 145). Writing in the preface to Carr's book, anarchist Stuart Christie likens the role of the Angry Brigade to that of the 'Chorus in Greek drama [which] played the part of an ideal public committed to the interests of the body politic' (iv). For 'members' at least, then, there operated a certain assumption that there existed a central 'idea' of the Angry Brigade to which everyone gave their assent — even if they remained uncommitted in terms of violence.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 2
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