The "Clichy affair" refers to a French trial that took place in August 1891. The trial resulted from the shooting, arrest, and beating by police of three anarchists, at a confrontation in Clichy on May 1, 1891, which was the first French, and international, celebration of

International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

. Two of the three anarchists arrested were convicted and given harsh sentences.

Event

About thirty demonstrators improvised a parade, with a red flag in front, from

Levallois-Perret Levallois-Perret () is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department and Île-de-France region of north-central France. It lies some from the centre of Paris in the north-western suburbs of the French capital. It is the most densely populated ...

to Clichy. A little before three o'clock, after the flag was furled, and the demonstrators were dispersing, Police Commissioner Labussiere ordered the flag be confiscated. This is the incident which initiated the affair. Shots were exchanged and police officers were slightly injured. Three anarchists were immediately arrested, including Louis Leveille, himself wounded by a bullet. As soon as they arrived at the police station, they each suffered a violent beating. This caused a sensation among the anarchists. The three anarchists were charged with crimes for this incident. At their trial, on 28 August 1891, Advocate General Bulot demanded the death penalty against one of the defendants.

Affair

At first overshadowed by the Fourmies Shooting, which happened the same day and killed nine demonstrators, the popular press had little interest in this trial. However it was followed with intense interest by anarchist newspapers. The anarchist newspaper, "La Révolte", highlighted the exemplary attitude of Henri Louis Decamps during his trial, as well as the violence suffered by his companions.

Sébastien Faure Sébastien Faure (6 January 1858 – 14 July 1942) was a French anarchist, freethought and secularist activist and a principal proponent of synthesis anarchism. Biography Before becoming a free-thinker, Faure was a seminarist. He engaged ...

published a booklet about this case, and the court proceedings, entitled ''The Anarchist in Assize Court''.

Inspired

The acceptance of police brutality, by the prosecutors, and courts, and the convictions of the anarchists, were seen as a provocation by anarchists. With the help of some companions,

Ravachol François Claudius Koenigstein, also known as Ravachol, (14 October 1859 – 11 July 1892) was a French anarchist. He was born on 14 October 1859, at Saint-Chamond, Loire and died by being guillotined on 11 July 1892, at Montbrison after being ...

decided to respond. He perpetrated two attacks against the magistrates (judges) who heard the case.

References

History of Hauts-de-Seine History of anarchism 1891 in France {{Anarchism-stub