Comrades Not Friends

The Revolutionary Front (RF), 2001 2015, was the most militant organisation on the left in recent Swedish history. Staunchly working class, the first generation of RF members engaged in numerous street battles with Swedish fascists. When the fascists retreated from the streets, RF attacked them in their homes. The police cracked down on the organization in 2013, raiding the apartments of several alleged members at the crack of dawn. The courts handed out prison sentences of up to six and a half years. Two years later, the organisation folded. The Revolutionary Front uploaded videos of many of its actions and received widespread international attention. In Sweden, RF members appeared in videos of prominent hip-hop acts and were the subject of prime-time television documentaries. The Swedish security service declared them a threat to society. Within the left, RF members were controversial both for their level of militancy and their disregard for the norms of the leftist scene. This book tells the story of the organisation from the perspective of its members. It is based on interviews and written memories, and illustrated by articles from the RF website, photographs, banners, and posters. Pride in what RF has achieved is blended with self-critique. Internal tensions are not swept under the carpet. Comrades, Not Friends documents one of Europe's most important antifascist, working-class organisations of the early twenty-first century. The questions it raises about militancy, class struggle, antifascism, political organising, and revolutionary politics are universal.