Le Drapeau noir

Le Drapeau noir (English: The Black Flag) was an anarchist newspaper published in Lyon between August and December 1883. It succeeded La Lutte, which had been banned shortly before publication began and preceded L'Émeute. It is best known for being the first anarchist periodical to use the black flag as its title, before the symbol became widespread across the entire movement.

During this period, Lyon was a major hub for the anarchist movement. They began establishing various press organs that succeeded one another amidst frequent bans and heavy government repression. Alongside these developments, the black flag—originally a symbol of the Canuts—began to permeate anarchist circles and was featured in L'Étendard révolutionnaire, a publication that preceded Le Drapeau noir.

In August 1883, shortly after the trial of Louise Michel for brandishing the flag during a demonstration, the newspaper was founded and adopted the symbol as its title. It continued publication until December 1883, when it was banned and replaced by the next anarchist organ, L'Émeute.

It belongs to the first period of the Lyon anarchist press, featuring a series of closely related newspapers that succeeded one another in the face of government bans, including Le Droit social, L'Étendard révolutionnaire, La Lutte, Le Drapeau noir, L'Émeute, Le Défi, L'Hydre anarchiste, L'Alarme, and Le Droit anarchique.