Anarchist symbolism

Anarchists have employed certain symbols for their cause since the 19th century, including most prominently the circle-A, the black flag or the black cat. Bisected flags, often using the black flag as a basis, are also frequent for various anarchist tendencies, such as the red and black or black and purple flags, respectively for anarcho-syndicalism and anarcha-feminism.

Since the latter half of the 20th century, the movement has been rejuvenated by the use of new symbols, easier to draw and more recognizable, the most famous of them being the circle-A.

Anarchist cultural symbols have become more prevalent in popular culture since around the turn of the 21st century, concurrent with the anti-globalization movement and with the punk subculture.

Flags

Red flag

The red flag was one of the first anarchist symbols; it was widely used in late 19th century by anarchists worldwide. Peter Kropotkin wrote that he preferred the use of the red flag. French anarchist Louise Michel wrote that the flag "frightens the executioners because it is so red with our blood. [...] Those red and black banners wave over us mourning our dead and wave over our hopes for the dawn that is breaking."

Use of the red flag by anarchists largely disappeared after the October Revolution, when red flags started to be associated only with Bolshevism and communist parties and authoritarian, bureaucratic and reformist social democracy, or authoritarian socialism.

Black flag

The origins of the black flag as an anarchist symbol are uncertain. In any case, by the early 1880, Black was already an anarchist color; for example, Black International was the name of a London-based British anarchist group founded in July 1881, and the Mano Negra ('Black Hand'), an alleged anarchist organization in Spain, was strongly associated with anarchism.

For the black flag specifically, it was flown in the 1831 Canut revolt, in which black represented the mourning of liberty lost for those Lyonnese silk workers - although they weren't anarchist.