ACAB / 1312

About

ACAB is an initialism for the phrase "all cops are bastards," often represented by the number sequence "1312," which has historically been used as a slogan in graffiti and tattoos associated with those opposing police brutality. The abbreviation saw a significant surge in usage during the riots that occurred in late May 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd.

Origin

The earliest known usage of the phrase comes from the 1972 British drama film All Coppers Are… (movie poster shown below). The film features the phrase "All Coppers Are Bastards" throughout its runtime. However, some historians contend that the phrase has existed since the 1920s, particularly in tattoos and on prison walls.^[1]

Spread

In 1982, the British punk band The 4-Skins released the album The Good, The Bad & the 4-Skins. The album included a song entitled "A.C.A.B." The song features the lyrics: "A.C.A.B., A.C.A.B., A.C.A.B All cops are bastards" (song available below).

The phrase has been heavily associated with street art and graffiti. These spray-painted pieces usually connect to other political messages and the number sequence "1312" (examples below).

On March 24th, 2004, Urban Dictionary ^[2] user sex defined the phrase. They wrote, "All Cops Are Bastards A.C.A.B punks write it on stuff ACAB is true. The post received more than 2,100 upvotes in less than 20 years (shown below, left).

In May 2020, the phrase became associated with the protests against police African American citizens following the death of George Floyd. Over the next month, people posted images of graffiti, protest signs and social media posts that feature the acronyms.

On June 1st, Instagram^[4] user @bjennymontero shared an illustration of a dog saying the phrase. The post received more than 19,000 likes in less than 24 hours (shown below, left).

On June 2nd, the Facebook ^[3] account Redfish posted an image of U.S. President Donald Trump walking near ACAB graffiti. The post received more than 1,900 reactions, 360 shares and 170 comments in less than one day (shown below, center).

That day, Instagram^[5] user @sapo_bully posted an image that reads "ACAB 4L." The post received more than 27,000 likes in less than 24 hours (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References