Among the republican communards were such notable anarchists as Auguste Blanqui and Louise Michel. Unrepentant revolutionary statements made by Michel at her trial make for compelling reading today, given the incidents of racial intolerance and social division that have been relentlessly fueled by irresponsible, opportunist politicians these past 12 months. Black Bloc, the anarchist inheritors of the agitational politics of Blanqui and Michel, are only the most visible of many emerging movements of protest in the wake of recent events.