On the morning of December 6th, 2023 Alfredo M. Bonanno passed away at the age of 86 in Trieste, Italy.
A long-time anarchist, Bonanno was an influential figure on insurrectionary anarchism both theoretically and in practice. With writings like “Armed Joy” and “The Anarchist Tension”, Bonanno’s writings continue to influence anarchist praxis worldwide. But he was more than just a theorist, Bonanno put his words into actions on numerous occasions and was subsequently imprisoned for bank robbery 2 different time and was also imprisoned for the writing of “Armed Joy”.
Upon learning of his passing a group of friends gathered on the evening of December 12th, 2023 in St̕č̓as (so called olympia, wa) to mourn, honor, and celebrate the life of Alfredo M. Bonanno. At the historical site of the Olympia Stand Blockades (2016 and 2017) we stood in a circle and talked about the impact him and his writings had on our lives while we passed around bottles of expropriated Italian fancy wine and root beer. When we had all shared our stories we poured out the remainder of our drinks in Bonanno’s honor and proceeded to light up road flares and held banners reading “rest in joy/Alfredo Bonanno/1937-2023” and “Hurry to attack capital before a new ideology makes it sacred to you… Hurry to play. Hurry to arm yourself” – Alfredo M. Bonanno”, a shortened version of one of our favorite quotes of his.
We take inspiration and solace knowing that he lived a long, joyous and rebellious life, a true testament that a life of anarchy and revolt doesn’t have to be short-lived or miserable.
REST IN JOY ALFREDO BONANNO!!!
– some anarchists
P.S. We wanted to leave you with some of our favorite quotes that Bonanno left us:
“Hurry comrade, shoot the policeman, the judge, the boss. Now, before a new police prevent you. Hurry to say No, before the new repression convinces you that saying no is pointless, mad, and that you should accept the hospitality of the mental asylum. Hurry to attack capital before a new ideology makes it sacred to you. Hurry to refuse work before some new sophist tells you yet again that ‘work makes you free’. Hurry to play. Hurry to arm yourself” – from “Armed Joy”
“The only acceptable limits are those of our capabilities. But these limits should always be seen during the course of the event, not as something that exists beforehand. I have always started off from the idea (obviously fantasy, but good operatively) of having no limits, of having immense capabilities. Then day to day practice has taken on the task of pointing out my actual limits to me and the things that I can and can’t do. But these limits have never stopped me beforehand, they have always emerged as insurmountable obstacles later on. No undertaking, however incredible or gigantic, has prevented me from starting. Only afterwards, during the course of particular practices, has the modesty of my capabilities come to light, but this has not prevented me from obtaining partial results, the only things that are humanly attainable.” – from “The Revolutionary Project”
submitted anonymously –
On the morning of December 6th, 2023 Alfredo M. Bonanno passed away at the age of 86 in Trieste, Italy.
A long-time anarchist, Bonanno was an influential figure on insurrectionary anarchism both theoretically and in practice. With writings like “Armed Joy” and “The Anarchist Tension”, Bonanno’s writings continue to influence anarchist praxis worldwide. But he was more than just a theorist, Bonanno put his words into actions on numerous occasions and was subsequently imprisoned for bank robbery 2 different time and was also imprisoned for the writing of “Armed Joy”.
Upon learning of his passing a group of friends gathered on the evening of December 12th, 2023 in St̕č̓as (so called olympia, wa) to mourn, honor, and celebrate the life of Alfredo M. Bonanno.
At the historical site of the Olympia Stand Blockades (2016 and 2017) we stood in a circle and talked about the impact him and his writings had on our lives while we passed around bottles of expropriated Italian fancy wine and root beer. When we had all shared our stories we poured out the remainder of our drinks in Bonanno’s honor and proceeded to light up road flares and held banners reading “rest in joy/Alfredo Bonanno/1937-2023” and “Hurry to attack capital before a new ideology makes it sacred to you… Hurry to play. Hurry to arm yourself” – Alfredo M. Bonanno”, a shortened version of one of our favorite quotes of his.
We take inspiration and solace knowing that he lived a long, joyous and rebellious life, a true testament that a life of anarchy and revolt doesn’t have to be short-lived or miserable.
REST IN JOY ALFREDO BONANNO!!!
– some anarchists
P.S. We wanted to leave you with some of our favorite quotes that Bonanno left us:
“Hurry comrade, shoot the policeman, the judge, the boss. Now, before a new police prevent you.
Hurry to say No, before the new repression convinces you that saying no is pointless, mad, and that you should accept the hospitality of the mental asylum.
Hurry to attack capital before a new ideology makes it sacred to you.
Hurry to refuse work before some new sophist tells you yet again that ‘work makes you free’.
Hurry to play. Hurry to arm yourself” – from “Armed Joy”
“The only acceptable limits are those of our capabilities. But these limits should always be seen during the course of the event, not as something that exists beforehand. I have always started off from the idea (obviously fantasy, but good operatively) of having no limits, of having immense capabilities. Then day to day practice has taken on the task of pointing out my actual limits to me and the things that I can and can’t do. But these limits have never stopped me beforehand, they have always emerged as insurmountable obstacles later on. No undertaking, however incredible or gigantic, has prevented me from starting. Only afterwards, during the course of particular practices, has the modesty of my capabilities come to light, but this has not prevented me from obtaining partial results, the only things that are humanly attainable.” – from “The Revolutionary Project”