Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) was created in 1995 when the North American Anarchist Black Cross collectives from Paterson (NJ), Bronx (NY), and Washington DC merged into a federation. Soon after, the Bronx and DC groups left to form a separate Anarchist Black Cross Confederation, but the New Jersey ABC and others continued to build the ABC Federation and attracted new ABC groups to carry it on.
The aim of the ABCF is to build an organization capable of offering long-term, non partisan support of class war political prisoners and prisoners of war (heretoforth respectively PP,POWs).
ABCF believes that it is important to support PPs/POWs as a priority, because PPs/POWs have themselves helped to build the movement that supports them, "As people continuing to struggle for change, we are obligated and it is our duty to support those people who are in prison as a result of struggling to make change."
The ABCF defines a "political prisoner" and "prisoner of war" as an individual who is not in prison for committing social crimes, but rather for other activity deemed revolutionary. They describe them on their website as follows: "Different PP/POWs participated in progressive and revolutionary movements in varying levels. Some in educational and community organizing, others in clandestine armed and offensive people's armies. All are in prison as a result of conscious political action, for building resistance, building and leading movements and revolution... for making change."
Read more about Anarchist Black Cross Federation: Government Attention
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