Red & Anarchist Action Network

RED & ANARCHIST ACTION NETWORK - MONTANA

SICKLE-A

About the "Sickle-A" Symbol:

I developed the concept and designed this symbol in 2001, a couple years after I really began to study Anarchist and Communist theory (pictured above are the first two drafts). I wanted to make something that would signify the much needed unity between Anarchists and Communists. The meaning of the Hammer & Sickle is simple: Workers of Industry and of Agriculture Unite! There have been arguments that the Hammer & Sickle is only a symbol of Soviet style Communism, but to say this would be to ignore both it's initial meaning, and the fact that the symbol was used by many Communist groups and parties. This does not mean that I or the RAAN adhere to or even agree with the ideals of such groups or parties. The Russian Revolution had such great potential and was unfortunately ruined by authoritarian ideals. It should go without saying that the only true and realistic form of Communism is an Anti-Authoritarian one. It is time to take back the Hammer & Sickle as a symbol for what it really is: a symbol of the necessary unity of the impoverished people of all nations to destroy the exploitive tendencies of capitalism, nothing more!

The origin of the Circle-A symbol is not very clear, but it is said to have been first seen during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Later, French Anarchists used the old slogan "Anarchy is Order" (Proudhon) to give new meaning to the circle. Speaking of the Spanish Civil War, there have been so many books written on this subject and the circumstances were very complex, and in no way am I trying to simplify them, merely giving one brief detail: One of the unfortunate reasons for it eventually being unsuccessful was due to the breaking apart of unity between the Anarchist militias and the Communist militias, ironically this was in part due to the Soviets' involvement near the end of the uprising. It is clearly evident that the only way the human race has any hope of bringing about a new society based on Social Equality, Economic Equality and Personal Freedom is through the unity of all anti-authoritarians, whether they consider themselves to be under the banner of Anarchism, Communism, or no banner at all.

-Matt Svendsen, November 13th, 2005