A.C.A.B.
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A.C.A.B. is an anti-police acronym standing for "All Cop[per]s Are Bastards",[1] used as a slogan in graffiti, tattoos, and other imagery.
History
The Dictionary of Catchphrases states that the acronym was seen in 1977 by a Newcastle journalist written on the walls of a prison cell and estimates the acronym to be no older than the 1970s, though the full phrase may date back as far as the 1920s.[2] The British Oi! punk band, the 4-Skins, popularized the acronym A.C.A.B. in their 1980s song of the same name.[3]
Usage
The acronym is often integrated into prison tattoos in the United Kingdom, commonly rendered as one letter per finger, alternatively sometimes seen as symbolic small dots across each knuckle.[4] The anarchist movement also uses ACAB as a political slogan, most notably by antifa groups.
The use of the acronym is widespread and pervasive within Ultras football fan culture.[citation needed]
The use of the acronym has also been used by law enforcement personnel as a counter-acronym: Always Carry A Badge or Always Carry A Bible.
Punishment
- Brian Stableford's 2009 Exotic Encounters states that "many years ago" during a fad for wearing ACAB shirts, a British youth was arrested for incitement to riot for wearing one, and ineffectively claimed the shirt stood for "All Canadians Are Bastards".[5]
- On 7 January 2011, three Ajax football fans in the Netherlands were fined for wearing T-shirts with the numbers 1312 printed on them, that number standing for "ACAB"[1] by assigning each letter a numeric value (1=A, 2=B, 3=C).
- On 4 July 2015, a girl from Alicante, Spain was fined for wearing a T-shirt with the acronym "ACAB" printed on it.[6]
- In Germany both "ACAB and "1312" have been deemed insults, by state courts.[7]
See also
- Criminal tattoos
- HWDP
- ACAB – All Cops Are Bastards, a 2012 Italian film
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ηηη[1], Dutch News – Football fans fined for anti-police t-shirt.
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- ↑ 6 Fined with 600 euros in Alicante for wearing a T-shirt which stands for "ACAB"
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