R.I.P. Stuart Christie 1946-2020

Damn. RIP to a true inspiration.

RIP, I remember when first looking up Anarchism the story of a young Scottish lad who went to Spain to kill Franco despite not speaking any Spanish was one the first things that came up. He's been on radar ever since and its staggering how much of UK and European Anarchist history and events he was at least tangentially related to.

I also appreciated his mammoth film archive and his very cheap E-book store. Both appear to still be up though there is no announcement on its homepage.

https://christiebooks.co.uk/

Damn. Just saw this on Freedom Press Facebook

Very sad news, rest in power.

An incredible character. A brave and influential person. Proper anarchist.
I first read about Stuart Christie in the NME when I was a teenager:

https://standupandspit.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/anarchist-in-the-uk/

There are some really good photographs of him as well as some of his writing on the Kate Sharpely Library website.

https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/4b8h4d

Orkney. 1980.

Libcom have documents and texts by Stuart Christie:
https://libcom.org/tags/stuart-christie

Stuart Christie 1946-2020 Anarchist activist, writer and publisher https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/rjdhgk

i never had the chance to meet Stuart face to face, but we corresponded from time to time, and i'm happy to say that i was able to contribute/suggest a few things to the Anarchist Film Archive. he was a tireless proponent of The Idea, and even though he and i didn't always see eye-to-eye on various topics, there was always mutual respect and real camaraderie. his legacy will remain strong as long as there are anarchists. rest in power.

xxxx

If you have memories of Stuart, please send them to us. We'd like to try and write something longer about his life.

One bit of trivia that might be worth including is the section from the Christie/Meltzer "Floodgates of Anarchy" that was used on the back sleeve of the Clash's "White Riot" single. It is a brilliant bit of writing that, I still find myself reminded of it on a regular basis.

Rest in power, Stuart.

An obituary of Stuart by Duncan Campbell has been published in the Guardian, 17 August 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/17/stuart-christie-obituary

Tribute from Joan Busquets:
"His death has robbed me of a comrade, a co-worker upon whom I could always rely. Let me say that Stuart spent his entire life championing the memory of the maquis, in which he was an indefatigable pioneer."
https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/tb2t62

We have just posted translations of tributes from:
Octavio Alberola
"René’s answer stopped me in my tracks, because even though Stuart had told me a week before that the cancer had left him still hoarse and that the findings of his medical tests were none too encouraging, it never at any moment occurred to me that he would be taken so quickly. I am surrounded by several male and female comrades – more or less of my own age – who are in none too rude health and at my age (due to turn 93 shortly) the thought that one’s days are numbered is just “normal”.

But in Stuart’s case, how could this be when he was eighteen years my junior? Besides, we had both been working on joint projects and both had been determined to plough ahead with our battles with the world of authority and exploitation. "
You can read all of it at https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/d51dns

Frank Mintz
"Stuart has left us at a point when, his homeland, and the capitalist system in general (whether private capitalism, statist, marxist-leninist or religious) is in the throes of a crisis; so the continuity and gravitas and determination that were the mainstays of Stuart’s life continue to make a sound contribution to activists, current and future. His is an honest and active legacy, mirroring his sensibilities which were always linked to reality and to a rejection of social exploitation in every sphere of life.

May the earth sit lightly on you, Stuart."
https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/w3r3xf

ACG obituary https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/08/20/obituary-stuart-christie-1946-2020/

Was there any comment in the Spanish press?

There's been a bit yeah

Muere a los 74 años Stuart Christie, el anarquista escocés que intentó matar a Franco

S’ha mort Stuart Christie, l’anarquista escocès que va intentar d’atemptar contra Franco

He was also mentioned in El País, a popular daily newspaper.

https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-08-18/un-escoces-de-la-fai.html

Last night on BBC radio 4 “Last Word”, gave Stuart an obituary. Unfortunate the presenter was very ignorant. It is on BBC web thingy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000ltsd

Alt

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ltsd

Stuart Christie's segment is at the end at 20 minutes in. It asked me to make an account to listen to it, I've noticed the BBC is increasingly putting hoops in to make sure only patriotic fee paying Brits can enjoy its output.

Its a bit typical, not much is new for people who already knew him or knew about him, a few brief snippets from his daughter, and the rest is about the attempt to kill Franco and the Angry Brigade.

The older BBC interview with Christie on the same subject is here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00wbjpj

I've made a video version if any internationals have trouble accessing that, https://youtu.be/0rBAVn-Vlpc

Footage comes from Christie's short film Kill Franco!
https://christiebooks.co.uk/anarchist_films/kill-franco-2008-christie-magoogan/

A nice, relatively long, write-up here: https://maydayrooms.org/stuart_christie/

Thanks, RT. Beautiful:
"What I would describe in my work as ‘transnational networks of anarchists’, he would simply call ‘friendships’. He did not consider himself a specimen for study. He lived his politics."

Another one: Stuart Christie, the Eternal Young Rebel Always in the Fight for Life by Xavier Montanyà
https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/kprstj

Freedom Press has produced an excellent article:

https://freedomnews.org.uk/stuart-christie-obituaries/

https://www.todoporhacer.org/stuart-christie/?fbclid=IwAR2jWkv31RvCEdQFy6H5gAZOeB4cPirh91HjSHpdQRagZ8mvn4b5ShtQPCU

https://noticiasanarquistas.noblogs.org/post/2020/09/01/franca-in-memoriam-stuart-christie-10-de-julho-de-1946-15-de-agosto-de-2020/

Thinking of, and sending our deepest sympathies to, Stuart Christie's family on this day we say our goodbyes. This photo represents just a sliver of the work and impact Stuart had in editing, publishing and writing on the histories and ideas of anarchism. We could fill a room with it. Stuart's work was a monumental achievement that both allowed us to learn about the unknowns who brought anarchism to life as well as enabled us to redefine what anarchism was and could be. You are sorely missed, mate. Abrazos.

"Stuart was a loyal fellow, loyal to an ideal, a cause and to his friends and comrades. But allow us to highlight something else from Stuart’s curriculum vitae. Above all else, this dyed-in-the-wool Scottish anarchist, was a kindly person, with a great sense of humour. Affable and approachable, fond of hearing and lending an ear. Who never hesitated to put a question when there was something he did not understand and who was constantly learning.

"The international anarchist movement has lost a great stalwart. And the loss of the man, the activist and the intellectual will be sorely felt."
Chris Ealham and Julián Vadillo Muñoz https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/jq2dg8

Shame the cringeworthy Clash didn’t read it.

I'd rather get no obituary than a positive one from the Guardian. Weren't even polite enough to do a hatchet job on him.

There's an interview with Christie from around the time of "Towards a Citizen's Militia" here: https://libcom.org/library/north-american-anarchist-vol-1-no-7-octobernovember-1980