Anarchists

A weekly reading-notes series has reached part 8, this time covering Pëtr Kropotkin's essay 'Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal'. The notes argue that Kropotkin located the evils of the present economic system not only in the extraction of surplus value but in the system's broader structure. The discussion ties his 19th-century critique of capitalism to ongoing debates about labor and economic organisation.

An anarchist and assassin of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Luigi Lucheni hanged himself in his prison cell on October 19, 1910. Commemorative posts note that his preserved head was displayed in formaldehyde at Vienna's Narrenturm until 2000, and that his 1898 killing of the empress marked the start of a wave of anarchist violence in Europe.

The indie webcomic The Crime Cats has published a new daily strip with the slogan 'no gods, no masters, no walls, no borders', released as day 21 of the Mörktober art challenge. The post also points readers to the creators' Ko-fi page for support. The strip combines cat illustrations with anarchist and anti-border themes.

A social media post aimed at anarchists quips that there is no hierarchy quite like small-town hierarchy, adding that it "sounds like a project". The remark plays on the tension between anarchist anti-hierarchy ideals and the informal but rigid social rankings found in small communities, where everyone knows everyone's place and standing. The post was shared in anarchist and politics tagged conversations.

French writer Marcel Aymé, who died in 1967 at 65, is being discussed again through his play 'La Tête des autres'. Commentators describe him as a stubborn contrarian, an anarchist labelled right-wing by opponents, and note his film and theatre work, including screenwriting credits that once stirred controversy.

Prosecutors in Arizona say a man charged over an alleged terror plot referred to the Anarchist Cookbook as his 'Bible', citing the remark in court filings. The case has drawn attention to the decades-old manual, which remains widely available and is frequently cited in domestic extremism prosecutions across the United States.

On October 21, 1894, French anarchists incited a revolt on the penal colony of Île Saint-Joseph in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana, part of the infamous Devil's Island system. The uprising was a response to guards killing an anarchist prisoner. The event is being remembered in labor history retrospectives marking the anniversary.

A French-speaking artist is responding to accusations of hypocrisy for selling prints while claiming to be an anarchist. The artist points out that free versions of all their creations have been available from the start, and that every page of their handmade shop carries a banner making this clear. The exchange has struck a chord with others debating how activists can sustain themselves financially without betraying their principles.

Journalist and author Natasha Lennard is the subject of a new interview in the Chicago Review of Books' Book Stuff series, where she discusses how new political realities can be created. The conversation touches on her writing on anarchist politics and how ideas can move from the margins into lived political practice.