Federation of London Anarchist Groups (FLAG)

The Federation of London Anarchist Groups was an umbrella group that acted as a coordinating and communication group for many of the anarchist groups in London and the surrounding area. In the 1970s there only seem to have been meetings of this group between 1976 and 1978

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Groups within the federation included the Freedom Collective, Anarchy Collective, Black Flag, East London Libertarians, London Workers Group, Kingston Anarchists, London Greenpeace, Dorking Libertarian Group, South East London Feminist Anarchist Group, West London Anarchists and Love v Power.

They published a internal bulletin, called Borrowed Time.

 The federation was spied on by HN300 ‘Jim Pickford’ and HN304 ‘Graham Coates’. HN304 'Graham Coates' 'Graham Coates' is the cover name of a former Special Demonstration Squad undercover officer who, between 1977 and 1979, infiltrated the International Socialists/Socialist Workers Party and spied on several anarchist group including the Zero Collective, Persons Unknown, and the Anarchy Collective. He gave evidence to the Inquiry on several undercovers’ sexual relationships with activists and said that it was common knowledge in the SDS that such relationships took place. His real name has been restricted. Full page: HN304 'Graham Coates'  

One Special Branch report detailed one of the federation’s meetings, titled The Right to Live – an anarchist response to the SWP’s Right to Work campaign. Report on a Federation of London Anarchist Groups day school 'The Fight to Live' held at The Tabernacle, Powis Sq W11 on 18 Dec 1976, 4 Jan 1977, Metropolitan Police Special Branch, UCPI0000017641.View Document