CLODO

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Committee for Liquidation or Subversion of Computers (CLODO)
Le Clodo parle.jpg
Le Clodo parle (The Clodo speaks) interview from 1984
Formation1979
Dissolved1983
Type
  • Neo-Luddite
  • Anarchist
Purpose
  • Anti-cyber-surveillance
HeadquartersToulouse, France
Membership
ad hoc, Decentralized affinity group

Committee for Liquidation or Subversion of Computers (CLODO) (in French: Comité Liquidant ou Détournant les Ordinateurs; 'clodo' being a slang word for the homeless) was a neo-Luddite French anarchist organization,[1] active during the from 1979 till 1983, that primarily targeted computer companies. CLODO initially began as an anti-nuclear protest agaisnt the GOLFECH nuclear reactor construction but later expanded into an ad hoc anarchist movement focusing on computer companies.

History[]

CLODO began in 1979 in protest to the GOLFECH nuclear power plant during the height of the anti-nuclear movement. Despite efforts to terminate construction on the nuclear power plant, the project continued unabated, prompting CLODO to diversify their targets. CLODO placed emphasis on computer technology but claimed to function as an ad hoc group with no formal organization or leadership. CLODO would claim responsibility for 6 sabotages and would often employ the use of humorous names and puns when claiming actions.[2]

In 1980, after a series of attacks in the Toulouse area, they released a statement to the French media[3] in which they explained their motivations. It read, "We are workers in the field of data processing and consequently well placed to know the current and future dangers of data processing and telecommunications. The computer is the favorite tool of the dominant. It is used to exploit, to put on file, to control, and to repress." Their major attack was in 1983, when they firebombed the Sperry Univac Company, in Toulouse. At the time, French police were convinced that CLODO was simply an outgrowth of Action Directe, a libertarian communist group.[1]

Although CLODO is no longer classified as 'active' by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, there has been some debate among technology critics and cultural theorists such as Arthur Kroker and Peter Lamborn Wilson as to whether or not the group still exists in an atomized state. In October 1983, CLODO sent a manifesto disguised as an interview to the French magazine Terminal 19/84. In this manifesto, CLODO rejected the use of computers for the purposes of "surveillance by means of badges and cards, instrument of profit maximization for the bosses and of accelerated pauperization".[2] CLODO additionally stated that, although their future projects are intended to be less spectacular than the firebombing of Sperry-Univac, they plan to carry out actions geared towards an impending telecommunications explosion.[4]

As of 2017, none of the members of CLODO had yet been identified.[5]

Notable acts of sabotage[]

  • Between the years 1979 and 1983, CLODO carried out a number of sabotage attacks against companies and government offices involved in the construction of the GOLFECH nuclear power plant.[2]
  • In 1980, CLODO claimed credit for an arson at the Philips Data System office in Toulouse.[6]
  • In 1983, a previously stolen bust of Jean Jaures, a famous socialist during the 1900s, was found hanging by a noose in front of the city hall in Toulouse, France. The bust was accompanied by a "suicide note" denouncing Francois Mitterand for "repressive, authoritarian policies".[2]
  • In 1983, CLODO carried out several attacks against Catholic bookstores and religious statues. This included a bust of Pontius Pilate in Lourdes.[2]
  • In 1983, CLODO set fire to the offices of U.S. computer manufacturer SPERRY in protest of Reagan's invasion of Grenada.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base". Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "CLODO Speaks". www.processedworld.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  3. ^ "CLODO Communique following attack on Colomiers (FR) data-processing centre (1983)". The Anarchist Library.
  4. ^ Holz, Maxine (February 1984). "CLODO Speaks: Interview with French saboteurs". Processed World (10). San Francisco, California, USA. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ^ Soufron, Jean-Baptiste (2017-11-27). "In France, cyber criticism turns violent as "activists" burn a fablab to protest the diffusion of…". HackerNoon.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  6. ^ "convert". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.

External links[]

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