Anarchism, Insurrection

This paper locates a convergent origin of insurrectionalist anarchism and neo-vitalist currents of contemporary theory in the 'savage ontology' (Foucault) of vitalism formed in 19th century post-Hegelian currents. It critically probes the limits of this 'energizing' ideology in regards to the biopolitical status of 'life' as contradictory source of value and experience of poverty.

The neo-insurrectionist network known as Bash Back! has contributed to the queering of the animal liberation discourse through the publication of their 2010 communiqué entitled, “Bash Back!ers in Support of Autonomous Animal Action Call For Trans-Species Solidarity With Tillikum.” The politic developed by the larger movement of neo-insurrectionist Queers, as exemplified by Bash Back!, has served to disrupt anthropocentric notions of human-liberator, animal-captive that form the centerpiece of the animal liberation discourse. Through their appropriation of an attack wherein an orca whale killed its trainer at SeaWorld, Bash Back! problematizes not only the normalized domestication of non-human animals for entertainment, but also the discourse used to critique such enslavement. Through satirical posturing and a liberatory framework, Bash Back! attempts to draw intersectional connection between the systems of domination that enslave both non-human animals and non-heterosexual Queers. Through a queering of this understanding of liberation, Bash Back! serves to shift the animal liberation discourse away from the human centric “total liberation” framework, and towards an anti-speciest framework proposed herein, termed “total solidarity.”

In this essay, we identify the primary traits of the "insurrectionary anarchism" that has recently influenced the North American anarchist community and attracted attention from other political activists. In doing so, we explore insurrectionary anarchism's genealogy, discourse, and relation to other strains of theory and praxis.

Italy has a long history of struggle against terrorism. At least since the mid-1970s, it has developed a national counterterrorism (CT) strategy, combining a range of different tactics and tools. Over the decades Italy has had to respond to many forms of violence: ethno-nationalist, right-wing, left-wing, anarchist, and jihadist. It is worth noting that right-wing, left-wing, and anarchist terrorism represented an indigenous phenomenon, even if many of these armed groups had significant connections abroad. On the contrary, ethno-nationalistic terrorism in the 1960s was perceived as inspired and supported by foreign forces, and jihadist terrorism is now a transnational threat.
This chapter outlines the evolution of Italy’s CT policy, from a social
science perspective. It distinguishes two major phases. In the first phase (from the 1960s to the 1980s), during the time of the so-called First Republic at the national level and the Cold War at the international level, the country dealt with separatist violent incidents and, above all, with a long and intense campaign of right-wing and left-wing terrorism, during the Anni di piombo (Years of Lead). In the second phase (from the 1990s to the present day), at the time of the Second Republic and in the post-Cold War era, Italy has had to face new challenges, especially from jihadist extremism.

Los estudios sobre el anarquismo en la región argentina indagan, en una abrumadora mayoría, sobre el movimiento a finales del siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX; deteniéndose, en líneas generales, entre las décadas de 1930 y 1940. Sin embargo, Gustavo Rodríguez (2007), Patrick Rossineri (2011), Daniel Barret (2011), Felipe Corrêa (2012), Rafael Uzcátegui (2014), por sólo mencionar algunos, desarrollaron un vibrante debate sobre el despertar del anarquismo, sus tendencias y tensiones en América Latina. Asimismo, una modesta indagación sobre el movimiento anarquista entre 1997 y 2013 en Buenos Aires, su área metropolitana, y La Plata nos permite constatar su incidencia durante la crisis del 2001 y la restauración del sistema. En efecto, los anarquistas protagonizaron desde acciones directas violentas, propias del insurreccionalismo, hasta acciones de inserción social en coordinación con movimientos sociales, características de la tendencia especifista

Since the mid-1980s, Italian insurrectionary anarchists have been responsible for dozens of attacks both within Italy and abroad. For more than a decade, the prevailing tactics were small-scale acts of vandalism, sabotage and arson. However, since the late 1990s, insurrectionary anarchist militants have increasingly used more dangerous methods such as bombings and assaults. Today, insurrectionary anarchist violence is generally regarded as the most dangerous form of domestic non-jihadist terrorism in Italy. Furthermore, in many respects, Italy represents the birthplace of a threat that has spread in many countries. The paper aims to examine the rise of insurrectionary anarchist terrorism in Italy, a neglected topic in the literature. The text focuses on four aspects. First, it traces the ideological roots of this extremist tendency. Second, it examines the escalation of violence in the twenty-first century, paying particular attention to the most important entity, the Informal Anarchist Federation, FAI, a loose network that emerged in 2003. The discussion is based on an original data set of 50 acts of violence claimed by the Italian FAI from 2003 to 2014. Third, it explores the peculiar organisational structure of the FAI. Finally, it analyses the repertoire of action and the strategies of target selection.


Keywords:  terrorism; insurrectionary anarchism; Italy; Informal Anarchist Federation; letter bombs