Sail Mohamed Ameriane ben Amerzaine (October 14, 1894 – April 1953) was an Algerian and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

who fought in the Spanish Civil War. The French writer Jacques Prévert dedicated a poem to him.

Life

Early life

In 1894, Sail Mohamed was born in the Berber region of Kabylie,

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. He received little education during his youth and became a driver-mechanic, until he served in the French Colonial Forces. He was arrested for insubordination and desertion during the First World War. He then moved to France, where he was an activist in the recently rebuilt

Union Anarchiste Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

(UA) and the Confédération Générale du Travail-Syndicaliste Révolutionnaire (CGT-SR) and with his friend Sliman Kiouane was founder (in 1923) of the Committee for the Defence of Indigenous Algerians, one of the first national liberation movements in French North Africa. Through these organizations, he denounced "the poverty of the colonialized people and colonial exploitation" and the ongoing instability in North Africa. In 1929, Sail Mohamed became the secretary of the Defence Committee of Algerians against the Centenary Provocation, an anarchist movement formed in protest to the upcoming French centenary of the conquest of Algeria (5 July 1830).

Social Awakening

In 1932, Sail became director of ''L'Eveil Social'' (Social Awakening) where he published anti-militarist articles and was subsequently prosecuted by the French authorities for "provocation of the military to disobedience". Sail Mohamed was also a passionate anti-Stalinist, and, following his arrest in 1932, he rejected support from Red Aid, a front organisation of the French Communist Party. In 1934, the "Sail Mohamed Affair" occurred. Sail Mohamed was arrested and jailed for 4 months following an incident where he was found collecting and hiding arms for workers' movements that had risen up as a result of a fascist and anti-Semitic demonstration that occurred on 6 February 1934 in France. Sail's organization, Social Awakening, merged with the anarchist Terre Libre group soon after his release.

Later life and death

In 1936, he served in the

Sébastien Faure Century The Durruti Column (Spanish: ''Columna Durruti''), with about 6,000 people, was the largest anarchist column (or military unit) formed during the Spanish Civil War. During the first months of the war, it became the most recognized and popular mil ...

, the French-speaking section of the

Durruti Column The Durruti Column (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Columna Durruti''), with about 6,000 people, was the largest anarchist column (or military unit) formed during the Spanish Civil War. During the first months of the war, it became the most recogniz ...

, an

anti-Francoist militia in Spain. In October 1936, he became the general delegate for foreign groups, replacing Bethomieu who died in

Perdiguera Perdiguera is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2009 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 662 inhabitants. The Sierra de Alcubierre Sierra de Alcubierre is a long mountain range ...

. He was wounded in November and returned to France in December, after sending many letters describing the anarchist movement in Spain. As soon as he recovered, he took part in the conferences organised by the

on the Spanish revolution. Additionally, he soon after participated in protests against the banning of the Etoile Nord Africaine edited by Messali Hadj in Tunisia. Sail Mohamed was arrested and jailed for "provocation of the military". At the beginning of WWII, Sail Mohamed was interned at a concentration camp in

Riom Riom (; Auvergnat ''Riam'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the se ...

. Sail would later escape by forging false papers and would spend the war underground, attempting to revive anarchist movements in occupied France. Sail Mohamed revived the Aulnay-sous-bois group and attempted to reform the Committee of Algerian Anarchists. Sail died in April 1953, with

George Fontenis George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

delivering address in Sail's honor.

References

External links