The Trial of the Thirty (French: Procès des
trente) was a trial in 1894 in Paris, France,
aimed at legitimizing the lois scélérates
passed in 1893–94 against the anarchist
movement and restricting press freedom by
proving the existence of an effective association
between anarchists.Lasting from 6 August-31
October in 1894, it put on trial 30 French
and foreign alleged anarchists, on a charge
of "criminal association" (association de
malfaiteurs).
Held in virtue of the lois scélérates censoring
the press and outlawing apologies for propaganda
by the deed, the trial mixed anarchist theorists
with common law criminals.Among the defendants
were Charles Chatel, Ivan Aguéli, Sébastien
Faure, Félix Fénéon, Jean Grave, Louis
Armand Matha, Maximilien Luce, Émile Pouget,
Paul Reclus, Alexander Cohen, Constant Martin,
Louis Duprat.
== Context ==
During the first months of 1894, the police
organized searches, raids and detentions against
the anarchist movement.
The government aimed at annihilating the anarchist
movement, and used for this the lois scélérates
of December 1893 and July 1894, enacted after
Auguste Vaillant's bombing.
On 21 February 1894, Le Père Peinard, published
by Émile Pouget, ceased being edited, and
was followed on 10 March 1894 by Jean Grave's
Le Révolté.
From 1 January 1894 to 30 June 1894, 426 people,
among which 29 could not be detained, were
judged on charges of having constituted a
"criminal association".
According to the historian Jean Maitron, most
activists had been either arrested or had
fled the country, and all propaganda had practically
ceased.
== The trial ==
On 6 August 1894, thirty defendants were judged
by the Cour d'assises of the Seine.
Among the most famous were included Jean Grave,
Sébastien Faure, Charles Chatel, editor at
La Revue anarchiste, Félix Fénéon, Matha.
Five accuseds had gone underground: Paul Reclus,
Constant Martin Émile Pouget, Louis Duprat,
Alexandre Cohen.
Alongside these anarchist theorists, common
law inculpees were included in the trials
; this amalgam was favored by the illegalism
supported by some anarchists who claimed a
right to live in margins of the law.
Those included Ortiz, Chericotti, and others.
In total, 19 theoreticians and propagandists
and 11 thieves claiming themselves to be anarchists.The
chief prosecutor, Bulot, prohibited the press
from reproducing the interrogatories of Jean
Grave and Sébastien Faure, leading Henri
Rochefort to write, in L'Intransigeant, that
the criminal association concerned not the
defendants, but the magistrates and the ministers.
The defendants easily discharged themselves
of the inculpation of "criminal association",
since at that time the French anarchist movement
rejected the sole idea of association and
acted exclusively as individuals.
Despite this, the president of the court,
Dayras, dismissed all objections from the
defense, leading Sébastien Faure to say:
"Each time we prove the error of one of your
allegations, you declare it unimportant.
You may very well sum up all zeros, but you
can't obtain a unity."
In the same sense, Fénéon, was accused of
having been the intimate friend of the German
anarchist Kampfmeyer.
Le Figaro 's correspondent thus transcribed
his interrogatory:
He cross-examines F.F. himself: "Are you an
anarchist, M. Fénéon?"
"I am a Burgundian born in Turin."
"Your police file extends to one hundred and
seventy pages.
It is documented that you were intimate with
the German terrorist Kampfmeyer."
"The intimacy cannot have been great as I
do not speak German and he does not speak
French."
(Laughter in courtroom.)
"It has been established that you surrounded
yourself with Cohen and Ortoz."
"One can hardly be surrounded by two persons;
you need at least three."
(More laughter.)
"You were seen conferring with them behind
a lamppost!"
"A lamppost is round.
Can Your Honour tell me where behind a lamppost
is?"
(Loud, prolonged laughter.
Judge calls for order.).
Fénéon received support from the poet Stéphane
Mallarmé, who qualified him as a "fine spirit"
and one of the "more subtile critique" (un
esprit très fin et un des critiques les plus
subtils et les plus aigus que nous avons).
Debates continued during one week.
The general prosecutor Bulot intended to prove
that there had been an effective agreement
between theoreticians and illegalists, but
failed to do so for lack of evidence.
He abandoned the accusations for some of them,
and claimed attenuating circumstances for
others, but requested harsh sentences for
those he depicted as the leaders: Grave, Faure,
Matha and some others.
Finally, the jury acquitted all, except the
common law prisoners, Ortiz, Chericotti, Bertani,
respectively condemned to 15 and 8 years of
forced labour and to six months of prison.
== References ==
== Further reading ==
Jean Maitron, Le mouvement anarchiste en France,
Tel Gallimard (first ed.
François Maspero, 1975), tome I, chapter
VI, "Le Procès des Trente.
Fin d'une époque", pp. 251–261 (in French)
== See also ==
Anarchism in France
Lois scélérates (national security legislation)
Trial of Antonio Negri in Italy concerning
his writings and alleged influence on bombings
committed during the years of lead
