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Title: Anarchists — Bandits
Author: Le Rétif
Date: February 6, 1909
Language: en
Topics: illegalism, individualist
Source: http://www.marxists.org/archive/serge/1909/02/anarchist-bandits.htm
Notes: First Published: in “Le Révolté” No 36, February 6, 1909;  Source: Le Rétif, articles parus dans ‘l’anarchie.’ Textes réunis et présentés par Yves Pagés. Paris, Monnier, 1989;  Translated: by Mitchell Abidor;  CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org 2007

Le Rétif

Anarchists — Bandits

Last week the dailies related in detail a tragic incident of the social

struggle. In the suburbs of London (in Tottenham) two of our Russian

comrades attacked the accountant of a factory and, pursued by the crowd

and the police, held out in a desperate struggle, the mere recounting of

which is enough to make one shiver...

After almost two hours of resistance, having exhausted their munitions,

and wounded 22 people, three of them mortally, they reserved for

themselves their final bullets. One, our comrade Joseph Lapidus (the

brother of the terrorist Stryge, killed in Paris in the Vincennes woods

in 1906) killed himself; the other was taken seriously wounded.

Words seem powerless to express admiration or condemnation before their

ferocious heroism. Lips are still; the pen isn’t strong enough, sonorous

enough.

Nevertheless, in our ranks there will be the timorous and the fearful

who will disavow their act. But we, for our part, insist on loudly

affirming our solidarity.

We are proud to have had among us men like Duval, Pini, and Jacob [1].

We today insist on saying loudly and clearly: The London “bandits” were

at one with us!

Let this be known. Let it be finally understood that in the current

society we are the vanguard of a barbarous army. That we have no respect

for what constitutes virtue, morality, honesty, that we are outside or

laws and regulations. They oppress us, they persecute us, they pursue

us. Rebels constantly find themselves before the sad alternative:

submit, that is, abolish their will and return to the miserable herd of

the exploited, or accept combat against the entire social organism.

We prefer combat. Against us, all arms are good; we are in an enemy

camp, surrounded, harassed. The bosses, judges, soldiers, cops unite to

bring us down. We defend ourselves — not by all means, for the most

peremptory response we can give them is to be better than them — but

with a profound contempt for their codes, their morals, their

prejudices.

By refusing us the right to free labor society gives us the right to

steal. In taking possession of the wealth of the world the bourgeois

give us the right to take back, however we can, what we need to satisfy

our needs. Anti-authoritarian, we have the burning determination to live

free without oppressing anyone, without being oppressed by anyone.

Current society, based on the absurd egoism of the strongest, on

iniquity and oppression, denies us this. In order not to die of hunger

we are forced to have recourse to various expedients: accept the

stupefying and demoralizing existence of the wage earner: work, or the

dangerous existence of the illegal: steal, and get ourselves out of our

mess through means on the margin of the law.

Let this be known! In order to wrest an existence, working — submitting

ourselves to the slavery of the workshop — is as much an expedient as

stealing. As long as we haven’t conquered the ample and large life for

which we fight, the various means which the social organization will

force us to have recourse to will be nothing to us but a last resort.

And so we choose, in keeping with our temperaments and the

circumstances, those that are most appropriate to us.

Your codes, your laws, your “honesty”: you can’t imagine how we laugh at

them!

This is why, in the face of the fuming bourgeoisie, in the face of those

who judge, of honest brutes, of the prostitutes of journalism, we insist

on proclaiming: “The bandits of London are ours!”

They are also, incidentally, noble bandits, and we can be proud of them.

We won’t have vain words of regret, vain tears for them. No! But may

their deaths be an example and etch in our memories the sublime motto of

the Russian comrades: “Anarchists never surrender!”

Anarchists don’t surrender! No more under policemen’s bullets than

before the shouts of the crowd or the condemnation of those who judge!

Anarchists don’t surrender!

Resolved to live as rebels and to pitilessly defend themselves to the

bitter end, they know, when it’s necessary, to accept the epithet of

“bandits.”

I can guess, dear reader, the sentimental objection that is on your

lips: But the 22 unfortunates wounded by your comrades’ bullets were

innocent! Have you no remorse?”

No! For those who pursued them could have been nothing but “honest”

citizens, believers in the state, in authority. Perhaps oppressed, but

oppressed who, by their criminal weakness, perpetuate oppression.

Enemies!

Unthinking, you will answer. Yes, but the ferocious bourgeois is also

unthinking. For us the enemy is he who prevents us from living. We are

under attack, and we defend ourselves.

And so we don’t have words of condemnation for our daring comrades

fallen in Tottingham, rather much admiration for their peerless bravery,

and much sadness this evening to have thus lost, in the fullness of

their vigor, men of an exceptional courage and energy.

[1] Clement Duval (1850–1935) — leader of a group of illegalist

anarchists called “La Panthére des Batignolles.” Pini (1850–189?) —

anarchist shoemaker and partisan of “individual expropriation.”

Marius-Alexander Jacob (1879–1954) — Thief and head of a band of

anarchist criminals.