 ACAB (1312)graffiti written during the2019–2021 Chilean protests | |
| Origin | England |
|---|---|
| Original form | All cops are bastards |
| Context | 20th centuryacronym commonly written asgraffiti, origin unknown |
| Coined by | Workers on strike |
| Meaning | Anti-police sentiment |
ACAB, an acronym forall cops are bastards, is apolitical slogan associated with thoseopposed to the police and commonly expressed as acatchphrase ingraffiti ortattoos. It is sometimes expressed as1312, with each digit representing the position of the corresponding letter in theEnglish alphabet.
The phrase "all cops are bastards" first appeared in England in the 1920s,[1][2][3] then was abbreviated to "ACAB" by workers on strike in the 1940s.[3] The acronym is historically associated with criminals in the United Kingdom.[2] First reported as aprison tattoo in the 1970s, it is commonly rendered as one letter per finger, or sometimes disguised as a small dot across each knuckle.[4][2] In 1970, theDaily Mirror used ACAB as the headline of an article which stated it was borne by aHells Angel on the street.[3] Film directorSidney Hayers also used a censored version as the title of his 1972 crime dramaAll Coppers Are....[5] In 1977, aNewcastle upon Tyne journalist saw it written on the walls of a prison cell.[1]
During the 1980s, ACAB became an anti-establishment symbol, especially within thepunk andskinhead subcultures.[2][3][6] It was popularized in particular by the 1982 song "A.C.A.B." byOi! bandthe 4-Skins.[2][3] In later years, ACAB turned into a popular slogan among Europeanfootball hooligans andultras,[7][2] and amonganarchist andanti-authoritarian movements across the world.[3] In certain contexts, theAnti-Defamation League categorizes the phrase as ahate symbol and describes it as "a slogan of long standing in theskinhead culture", while noting the phrase is used both by racist and anti-racist skinheads.[6][8]
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In the wake of the May 2020murder of George Floyd by the police officerDerek Chauvin, the use of the term ACAB became more frequently used by those who oppose the police.[9] Asprotests in response to Floyd's murder and discussions about racially motivated police violence spread through the United States, ACAB was more frequently referenced on social media and products bearing the acronym became available.[9] Proponents of the term contended that ACAB means every single police officer is complicit in anunjust system. They argued that police officers, even if they did not take part inpolice brutality orracism in policing themselves, were still responsible for what their colleagues did because theydid not speak out against it or try to stop it.[10]
In Germany, usage of the term is a criminal offense when it refers to a single person, but permitted when used to describe a large group of people.[11] Both "ACAB" and "1312" have been deemed justiciable insults by state courts. In 2015, theFederal Constitutional Court ruled in reference to the term "FCK CPS" (read as 'Fuck Cops') that an insult is only punishable when it is directed at a specific, identifiable group, but left interpretation of individual cases to the criminal courts.[12][13]
InAustria, the use of ACAB was seen as "violating public decency", which could be punished under administrative law, for example, usingan administrative penal order. The fine could be up to 700 euros (or alternatively a weekpolice detention).[14] In 2019, theAustrian Constitutional Court (VfGH) ruled that treating the slogan as a violation of decency, in certain cases, violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression under Article 10 ECHR. The specific case involved a soccer fan who had waved an ACAB flag in the stadium. According to the VfGH, the banner should "primarily refer to the tense relationship between some football fans and the police and to express the negative attitude towards the police as part of the state's regulatory power" and should therefore "not be a concrete 'insult' to certain other people". Therefore, the criticism expressed "should be accepted with a view to the special meaning and function of freedom of expression in a democratic society, taking into account all circumstances of the case".[15]
In other European countries, there are examples of police action toward people using ACAB in some fashion.Brian Stableford's 2009Exotic Encounters states that "many years ago" during a fad for wearing ACAB shirts, aBritish youth was arrested for incitement to riot for wearing one, and ineffectively claimed the shirt stood for "All Canadians Are Bastards".[16] In January 2011, threeAjax football fans in theNetherlands were fined for wearing T-shirts with the numbers 1312 printed on them.[17] On 4 July 2015, a woman inAlicante,Spain, was fined for wearing a T-shirt with the acronym "A.C.A.B." printed on it.[18] On 22 May 2016, a 34-year-old woman inMadrid, Spain, was charged under Article 37 of the Citizen Safety Law for carrying a bag displaying the acronym "A.C.A.B." accompanied by the words "All Cats Are Beautiful".[19] The charges were dropped 3 days later.[20] On 15 September 2017, a man fromKarlovac,Croatia posted aphotomontage with the message "Fuck da Police A.C.A.B." from his Facebook profile. For this, he was later charged with violating the public order and fined €100 by the Misdemeanor Court in Karlovac.[21] On 4 April 2019, a 26-year-old ice hockey fan was arrested for wearing a T-shirt that had a numeric version of ACAB, 1312. "A.C.A.B." and1312 are both considered "extremist information" in Belarus.[22]
Prosecution on the grounds of ACAB being offensive is not limited to Europe. In 2018, a group ofPersija Jakarta football fans in Indonesia were arrested for displaying a banner with the message "All Cops Are Bastards" on it during the league match day.[23]
Following a 2020Black Lives Matter protest inPhoenix, Arizona, United States, 15 protesters were charged with assisting a criminal street gang for using the phrase "all cops are bastards" while wearing black clothes and carrying umbrellas. The police officers who arrested them said the protesters were members of "a group known as ACAB All Cops Are Bastards."[24] Criminal charges against the protestors were dropped and a probe characterized the case as "deeply flawed", "insubstantial", and lacking credible evidence in support of the claim that "ACAB" is a gang.[25]
The abbreviation was often used musically in the 1980s. The4-Skins, a BritishOi!punk band, popularized the initialism A.C.A.B. in their 1980s song of the same name.[26] The term has also been used elsewhere in music:
The 2012 Italian drama filmACAB – All Cops Are Bastards follows the work of a group of riot control force policemen and tensions within the community.[34] A follow-up seriesACAB: The Series (a.k.a. "Public Disorder") was produced through Netflix[35] and debuted on the streaming service in January 2025.
Ihre zahlreiche Anti-Polizeisongs sind bis heute Hymnen der linken Bewegung, die Refrains oft Schlachtrufe, so etwa A.C.A.B. - All cops are bastards.
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