Raised fist
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The raised fist (also other names, including clenched fist) is a salute most often used by political and social activists of a leftist, anti-fascist, or simply anti-capitalist orientation, such as Marxists, anarchists, communists, black nationalists, pacifists and trade unionists. Generally the fist is regarded as an expression of solidarity, strength or defiance.
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[edit] Other names
The salute has also been known as the clenched fist or closed fist. Additionally, different movements sometimes use different terms to describe the raised fist salute: amongst communists and socialists it is sometimes called the red salute, whereas amongst black rights activists, especially in the United States of America it has been called the black power salute. During the Spanish Civil War, it was sometimes known as the anti-fascist salute.
[edit] Symbol
The fist may represent union, as "many weak fingers can come together to create a strong fist", and is also used to express solidarity, generally with oppressed peoples. This symbolism may have sprung from usage by trade unions.
[edit] Groups that have used the symbol
Groups that have used some form of the raised fist as a symbol:
- American Indian Movement
- André the Giant
- Anarchist Black Cross, a political prisoner and prison abolitionist organization
- Antifa - Also known as Militant Anti-Fascists
- Black Panther Party
- The Socialist party of England and Wales
- Earth First!, the eco-defense organization
- Women's Liberation
- Food Not Bombs, a free-food sharing organization
- The Howard Stern Show
- International Brigades - International volunteers who fought to defend the democratic, socialist Second Spanish Republic from the Nationalist forces of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - Electricians' Trade Union, formed from the American Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in 1891. The raised fist is still present in their logo.
- International Socialist Organization, US-based socialist movement
- Italian Radical Party
- Jewish Defense League
- Kach
- Labour Representation Committee (Britain)
- Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
- Otpor youth movement
- Red Army - Supporters of Soviet Union's communist government during the Russian Civil War, 1917-1923
- Saor Éire - A radical Irish revolutionary group
- Socialist International
- Socialist Youth Front
- United Farm Workers of America
- South African Congress Alliance of Anti-Apartheid movements since the 1950s
- Rage Against the Machine - A political American rock band.
- Raised Fist - A Swedish hardcore punk band.
Additionally, the fist with a red rose (e.g., as used by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) is a symbol of social democracy.
[edit] Salute
The salute consists of raising the arm with a clenched fist, at an angle of 90 degrees or greater. There is no uniformity as to which arm is raised; in general, anarchists use the right arm while Marxists use the left arm,[citation needed] but this rule is not adhered to very strictly. The salute contrasts with the Roman Salute, used by fascists in the 20th century, in which the arm is held stiff and the hand is held palm downward with the fingers together and extended outward. The Roman salute is generally directed toward another person or a symbol such as a flag or standard, which the clenched fist salute generally is not.
The clenched fist gesture is sometimes mistakenly thought to have originated in the Spanish Civil War. A letter from the Spanish Civil War explained,
| “ | ...the raised fist which greets you in Salud is not just a gesture—it means life and liberty being fought for and a greeting of solidarity with the democratic peoples of the world."[1] | ” |
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, medal winners John Carlos and Tommie Smith gave the raised fist salute during the American national anthem as a sign of black power and protest on behalf of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. For this, they were barred from further Olympic activities.
Loyalists in Northern Ireland occasionally use a clenched fist on murals depicting the Red Hand of Ulster. However, this is considered rare and when depicted is usually the traditional flat palm.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Cushing, Lincoln (January 25, 2006). "A brief history of the 'clenched fist' image". Docs Populi. http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/Fist.html. Retrieved on 2006-03-22.
- Dilbeck, Steve (October 17, 2003). "Bitter price of Olympics' iconic image". Los Angeles Daily News. http://smh.com.au/olympics/articles/2004/06/18/1089484304254.html. Retrieved on 2006-03-24.
- McGivering, Jill (June 21, 2006). "India Faces Maoist 'Red Salute'". BBC World News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5071784.stm. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Rolfe, Mary. Letter to Leo Hurwitz and Janey Dudley, 25 November 1938. Reprinted in Cary Nelson and Jefferson Hendricks, eds. "Madrid 1937: Letters of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade from the Spanish Civil War," Routledge: 1996. Reprinted online [1]
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