Frank Leech

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (September 2006)

Frank Leech was a well-known and prominent Scottish Anarchist in Glasgow, Scotland.

Leech ran several papers, among them Fighting Call, later incorporating another paper known as Freedom as well. [1]

In 1937, he gave shelter to a number of Anarchists of the Schwarzrotgruppe (a group adovcating the assassination of Adolf Hitler), fleeing Nazi Germany after a foiled plot to end the Führer's life. It was Leech's initiative which formed the Glasgow Anarchist-Communist Federation in that same year. [2]

He also ran a radical bookshop, Bakunin Press Bookshop, on Buchanan Street, Glasgow, named for Anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. [3] The store was associated with the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation.

[edit] War Resistance

During the Second World War, Frank Leech was one of many Glasgow Anarchists who made attempts to resist various aspects of the war such as conscription.

Participation in Air Raid Precautions work and compulsory fire-watching schemes was looked down upon by Galsgow Anarchists. As British Anarchist Federation member Eddie Fenwick explained when prosecuted for refusing to fire watch at his workplace, since the "owners of private property had denied him the elementary rights of man, he was entitled to refuse to protect private property."

When Leech was fined for refusing to comply with the fire watching regulations, and then imprisoned after declining to pay, he went on hunger strike in Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow, explaining afterwards that he would not "be used by any ruling class in their wars ... I am determined that our dictators will only conscript my dead body. Not whilst there is breath in it will I submit to them." After going without food for 17 days Leech was released when friends paid his fine. [4]

In August 1940 four members of the Glasgow Anarchist Federation - James Kennedy, Frank Dorans, Eddie Shaw and Frank Leech - were prosecuted for allegedly inciting people to evade the duties and liabilities relating to conscription laid down in the National Service (Armed Forces) Act. The basis of the charge was that they had advertised the offer of information and advice for prospective Commanding Officers and had held mock tribunals to help C.O.s prepare their cases. The four defendants were found not guilty, however, since in the judge's opinion their actions had not technically amounted to incitement.[5]

One of the foremeost methods of war resistance advocated by Leech and the APFC was that similar to modern Consciensiou objector status. Since however, as a rule, the anti-parliamentarians did not conceal their willingness to fight in the class war, in many cases they naturally failed to satisfy the Tribunals' requirement that defendants had to have a conscientious objection to all use of force. Once the process of Tribunals and Appeals had been exhausted, unsuccessful C.O.s were required to undergo medical examination before being enlisted. Refusal to submit to examination was a criminal offence. In April 1944 Frank Leech reported that "Dozens of our members have served twelve months sentences for refusing M.E. [Medical Examination]." [6]

[edit] Quotations

• "Did our boys join up to be used against their fellow workers?", in regards to the use of Scottish soldiers being deployed to counter a strike in Glasgow. [7]
• "We would like to see you forming Committees to prepare for the taking over of the factory and commencing the production of the goods you require." On a strike in 1943-1944, at Barr and Stroud's engineering factory in Glasgow, when 2000 women went on strike 13 December 1943 in support of a pay demand. He was speaking for the Glasgow Anarchists. [8]
• "We Glasgow Anarchists issued a leaflet calling workers to resist conscription by a General Strike . . . there was no response. Ever since, in common with other groups and individual workers, we have fallen back on individual resistance." Speaking of attempts at resisting the Second World War. [9]