Thiers statue bombing
| Thiers statue bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of Propaganda of the deed | |
Manifesto found at the foot of the statue (Archives of the Paris Police Prefecture, Ba 138 / courtesy of Archives Anarchistes) | |
| Location | 48°53′53″N 2°05′41″E / 48.89793512°N 2.09475629°E |
| Date | 16 June 1881 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrator | Comité révolutionnaire français |
| Motive | Anarchism |
The Thiers statue bombing, also known as the Saint-Germain-en-Laye bombing, was an anarchist bomb attack carried out on the night of 15–16 June 1881, against the statue of Adolphe Thiers in the aforementioned town. With the dozens of attacks of the Black Band the following year, it was one of the first clear propaganda of the deed attacks in France.
A Comité révolutionnaire français ('French Revolutionary Committee') placed bombs in small boxes around the statue of Adolphe Thiers – a significant political figure and responsible for the massacres of the Paris Commune ten years prior. The group also left a manifesto next to the statue. The bombs exploded but malfunctioned, merely leaving a mark on the back of the statue. One month later, several anarchists approved propaganda of the deed as a favored strategy in the London Congress.
According to the Prefect of Police of Paris, Louis Andrieux, he was allegedly aware of the attack but would have chosen to let it happen to prevent anarchists from targeting the Chamber of Deputies. The manifesto published by the group is considered significant for explaining the shift occurring at the time from classic iconoclastic terrorist violence to the new form of terrorism induced by propaganda of the deed.