What does ACAB mean?
The slogan“All Coppers are Bastards” emerged in the 1920s in the United Kingdom. However, it wasn’t until the 1940s that English workers on strike abbreviated the phrase. ACAB gained its contemporary significance in the 1970s when the Daily Mirror newspaper prominently featured the four letters as a headline on its front page.
Punk & Skinhead Appropriation
Within the punk scene, the phrase gained popularity through the efforts of the first wave Oi! band The 4-Skins from London’s East End. Formed in 1979, the band included their song “A.C.A.B.” on their debut album,The Good, The Bad & The 4-Skins (Secret Records, 1982). The German punk rock band Slime also presented their own version of “ACAB” in the early 1980s.
In subsequent years, ACAB (alternatively represented numerically as1312, symbolizing the order of letters in the English alphabet) became a widely adopted slogan among both right-wing and anarchist/leftist movements across the globe.
Considering the fact that non-racist skinhead factions (such as SHARP, trad-skins, and left-wing skins) can utilize this acronym alongside fascist boneheads, it is imperative to assess its context carefully.
A.C.A.B. is also the name of an Oi! band from Malaysia, known for their 2001 albumSkinhead For Life. They were active in the late 90s and disbanded in 2003, but reformed as The A.C.A.B. in 2005.
Articles published by the editorial team of DIY Conspiracy.