A.C.A.B.

ACAB, an acronym for all cops are bastards, is a political slogan associated with those opposed to the police and commonly expressed as a catchphrase in graffiti or tattoos. It is sometimes expressed as 1312, with each digit representing the position of the corresponding letter in the English alphabet.

==Background== The phrase "all cops are bastards" first appeared in England in the 1920s, then was abbreviated to "ACAB" by workers on strike in the 1940s. The acronym is historically associated with criminals in the United Kingdom. First reported as a prison tattoo in the 1970s, it is commonly rendered as one letter per finger, or sometimes disguised as a small dot across each knuckle. In 1970, the Daily Mirror used ACAB as the headline of an article which stated it was borne by a Hells Angel on the street. Film director Sidney Hayers also used a censored version as the title of his 1972 crime drama All Coppers Are.... In 1977, a Newcastle upon Tyne journalist saw it written on the walls of a prison cell.