Due in part to recent events in Europe the Federal Bureau of Investigation is starting to focus more of their energy on educating the public on and putting a stop to “anarchist extremism.”

Earlier this month, authorities in Greece halted all mail and package shipments addressed to foreign destinations after suspected mail bombs were sent to the embassies of Switzerland, Bulgaria, Russia, Chile, Mexico, Belgium, the Netherlands, and others.

It largely went under the radar as other packages from Muslim extremists allegedly targeted Jewish addresses in the US.

But anarchists sent explosive packages to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office in Berlin and French President Nikolas Sarkozy. Both packages were intercepted before they arrived at their destinations. One parcel, destined for Italian president Berlusconi, exploded while being examined by Italian authorities following a Greek police warning.

The Greek individuals connected to the attacks were connected to the anarchist extremist group called Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, which first surfaced in 2008 with a wave of bombings at luxury car dealerships and banks in Athens and Thessaloniki. They also have expressed solidarity with arrested anarchists in Greece and other European countries.

Most anarchists in the US advocate their belief that society should have no government, laws, police, or any other authority through non-violent, non criminal means. However, the small minority that fall under the anarchist extremist umbrella have a firm belief that change will only come through rampant violence and other criminal acts.

Although most episodes of anarchist extremism occur within local jurisdiction and are characterized by small level larceny and petty crime, the FBI still has a heavy presence at major national or international events that generate significant media coverage, which are events that trigger episodes of violence. Historically, the US has dealt with a few large scale instances of anarchist extremism.

In 1919 the FBI investigated a series of anarchist bombing in several US cities. The most publicized attack was when a militant anarchist named Carlo Valdinoci blew up the front of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s home. The bombing was part of a number of coordinated attacks in eight US cities on judges, politicians, law enforcement, and other significant personalities that represented capitalism (a postal worker intercepted a bomb addressed to John D. Rockefeller.)

More recently, anarchist extremists hit the 1999 World Trade Organization in Seattle, and it has become the standard for how similar anti-government groups view success. There was millions of dollars in property damage and economic loss, in addition to injuries to hundreds of bystanders and law enforcement officers.

Current anarchist extremists adhere to a variety of anti-US ideologies. They are anti-capitalism, anti-globalism, and anti-urbanization. There is also a movement that has been coined “green anarchy” which is an aggregate of environmental extremism and anarchist extremism.

The heightened threat of anarchist extremism has been attributed to the recent recession and the perceived greed of many large US banks and the resulting stimulus plan. The stimulus plan has brought the governmental intervention that anarchists despise to a precipitous peak that has US public uncomfortable and divided. Hence, it is a time when calculated disorder is en vogue.

“There have been a number of anarchist convictions recently at both the state and federal levels,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to detect and disrupt enterprises and individuals involved in criminal activity or who advocate the use of force or violence to further an anarchist extremist ideology.”

About The Author

Andrew Castronovo is editor of Blast Recipes and Managing Editor of Features for Blast Magazine.

8 Responses

  1. Johnny Lemuria

    When governments are in trouble, when they have failed their citizenry, they grasp for a scapegoat. Their favorite are the anarchists. Scare stories of anarchist violence are laughable when compared to the vast amount of violence governments regularly commit against their own citizens. Americans shouldn’t worry about anarchist extremism. Americans should _embrace_ anarchist extremism.

    Reply
  2. Jesus

    did you know that famous anarchist alexander berkman ran a paper called the Blast?
    bet you feel like a dumbass now fucker. get a life and stop spitting this FBI propaganda.

    Reply
    • Red blooded american

      Anarchy is not cool. Jesus you fuckin fat loser, you are probably blogging from your mother’s basement. This is a great country and you should love it or leave it. I bet you get no pussy.

      Reply
  3. That Guy

    I think it’s an old John Birch Society adage that states it, but I’m not entirely sure: “the guy who wants you to blow stuff up is usually, if not always, the FBI informant.” America has survived through peaceful changes; we have wiggled and wriggled in our foundations while others have had dramatic shifts — the exception is the civil war and another could be the Civil Rights movement. But really, what is the accomplishment of destroying things? It only convinces the rest of us that said anarchists are barbaric, brutish, and that if they get what they want the world will look like a “Mad Max” movie: it only serves to convince us that the types of government they find the most appalling — the military, the police, et cetera — are ever more necessary. It is important to remember that the time, energy, and resources that are spent cleaning up the mess these delinquents make could be spent doing other things, like, perhaps, reading the literature that their right minded fellow travelers may be handing out.

    Reply
  4. Caleb F

    Your use of generalization to polarize this as ‘anarchists vs us’ is both grossly inaccurate and a direct use misinformation to stereotype anarchists as ‘rampant idiots who just want to cause trouble and create panic’. This is false, anarchism is an evolving concept largely based on free association and equality of opportunity. The people for whom this article addresses have no reason to fear the anarchist movement, rather the corrupt political figures who claim to represent us. If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear from anarchists, or as you put it ‘anarchist extremists’. Anyone who is uneducated in this area could easily write off anarchism as something akin to terrorism after reading your article, is that not therefore propaganda?
    I’d love to hear back.
    Regards, caleb

    Reply

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