History[edit]

The Dictionary of Catchphrases states that the acronym was seen in 1977 by a Newcastle journalist written on the walls of a prison cell and estimates the acronym to be no older than the 1970s, though the full phrase may date back as far as the 1920s.[2] The British Oi! punk band, the 4-Skins, popularized the acronym A.C.A.B. in their 1980s song of the same name.[3]

Usage[edit]

The acronym is often integrated into prison tattoos in the United Kingdom, commonly rendered as one letter per finger, alternatively sometimes seen as symbolic small dots across each knuckle.[4] The use of the acronym is widespread and pervasive within Ultras football fan culture.[citation needed]
The use of the acronym has also been used by law enforcement personnel as a counter-acronym: Always Carry A Badge or Always Carry A Bible.

Punishment[edit]

  • Brian Stableford's 2009 Exotic Encounters states that "many years ago" during a fad for wearing ACAB shirts, a British youth was arrested for incitement to riot for wearing one, and ineffectively claimed the shirt stood for "All Canadians Are Bastards".[5]
  • On 7 January 2011, three Ajax football fans in the Netherlands were fined for wearing T-shirts with the numbers 1312 printed on them, that number standing for "ACAB"[1] by assigning each letter a numeric value (1=A, 2=B, 3=C).
  • On 4 July 2015, a girl from Alicante, Spain was fined for wearing a T-shirt with the acronym "ACAB" printed on it.[6]
  • In Germany both "ACAB and "1312" have been deemed insults, by state courts.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to:a b ηηη[1], Dutch News – Football fans fined for anti-police t-shirt.
  2. Jump up^ Eric Partridge (4 December 1986). A Dictionary of Catch Phrases. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-415-05916-9. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  3. Jump up^ Gordon Woodman (29 May 2009). The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 57/2008. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-3-643-10157-0. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. Jump up^ Tim Thompson; Sue Black (14 November 2006). Forensic Human Identification: An Introduction. Taylor & Francis. pp. 384–. ISBN 978-0-8493-3954-7. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  5. Jump up^ Brian Stableford (November 2009). Exotic Encounters: Selected Reviews. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-1-4344-5760-8. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  6. Jump up^ 6 Fined with 600 euros in Alicante for wearing a T-shirt which stands for "ACAB"
  7. Jump up^ "Constitutional Court allows 'FCK CPS' sticker". 28 April 2015. "...state court in Karlsruhe ruled that a banner ... that read 'ACAB' - an abbreviation of 'all cops are bastards' ... a punishable insult. ... A court in Frankfurt ... the numbers '1312' constituted an insult ... the numerals stand for the letters ACAB's position in the alphabet.

External links[edit]

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