Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers
Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers (often referred to as simply "the Motherfuckers") was an anarchist affinity group based in New York City. This "street gang with analysis" was famous for its Lower East Side direct action stunts and is said to have inspired members of the Weather Underground and Yippies.
History The Motherfuckers started out as a Situationist organization called "Black Mask". Formed in 1966 by painter Ben Morea and the poet Dan Georgiakis, Black Mask produced a broadside of the same name and declared that revolutionary art should be "an integral part of life, as in primitive society, and not an appendage to wealth" [1]. In May of 1968, Black Mask changed its name and went underground. The new name, Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers, came from a poem by Amiri Baraka. Among other things, the Motherfuckers instigated riots, "assassinated" poet Kenneth Koch (using blanks), forced their way into the Pentagon during a protest in '68, and seized control of the Fillmore East (forcing owner Bill Graham to have weekly free concerts). The Motherfuckers also contributed to NYC's counterculture, setting up crash pads, serving free food, setting up a free store, and helping radicals connect with doctors and lawyers. Would be assassin of Andy Warhol, Valerie Solanas associated with the Motherfuckers. In the film I Shot Andy Warhol, the gun used in her attack is alleged to have been taken from Ben Morea. The British section of the Situationist International (SI) was expelled from the SI in 1967 for its ties to the Motherfuckers. They went on to form the King Mob group.
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